Keepers Up The Hill
by SevenRenny
Summary: The Midoriyas' mushroom cottage was a peaceful little place; away from social ridicule, and also, quite boring, until Inko and her son were tasked with hiding a Witch in their home. Things get more complicated when the boy decides to bring home a wolf too big for its size. While outcasts get to know one another, a great evil slowly makes its way through the woods. Hinted IzuOcha.
1. Chapter 1

_Note: Medieval/Fantasy/Fairy tale Alternate Universe._

 _Warnings: Violence, discrimination of varies forms, animal fights, experimental writing, social issues, sexism, dark themes_

 _Note:_ _I'll read through this again later to fix up grammar/spelling errors._

 **Keepers Up The Hill**

 **SevenRenny**

A Halloween special, illustrated by artist aeonsx (Please visit artist's Tumblr for artwork)

 **One**

The wooden carriage smelled like horse. Appropriate, considering the hairy horse pulling it across dirt paths; the long tufts of feathery hair dancing around the hooves like neat skirts. Sitting by the cargo, Ochaco gazed back at the village she once called home. It was far away now, down the hill and unrecognizable from this distance. Her thin clothes – covered in stitches to repair tears to not waste money on buying new clothing – did little to protect her from the chilly air. She blew into her cupped hands, her brown gloves absorbing the heat from her mouth.

"You okay back there?" Hanta - the boy who'd offered her a ride up the hill - asked; though he didn't sound too concerned. Her dad had given him coins in exchange he sneak his daughter out of the village. The boy hadn't asked questions, and had accepted the task, fetching the family horse right away.

"Oh – yeah, I'm fine!" she assured him, grateful he was willing to help transport her, even though it meant he could get dragged down with her if they were caught. Unlike the villagers who had caused a commotion, he didn't seem to mind having a so-called Witch in his carriage.

Then again, the ride hadn't been free.

"Almost there. And don't worry too much – the Midoriyas won't judge ya'," he let her know with his country-boy accent.

She really hoped they wouldn't. She wondered how her parents were fixing things back there. Witch or not, they still loved her, at least. She knew there were Witches on her mother's side of the family. Her own mother hadn't shown any Witchy tendencies. It seemed like it had skipped a generation, landing on Ochaco instead. It had been an accident, and she still wasn't sure how her... spell worked. Floating things wasn't anything life-threatening, really, but the villagers didn't understand that. 'Burn the Witch' was all they knew. That, and throwing stones at doors and windows.

Her powers had activated upon touch, and she hadn't realized why her father's wooden carvings were floating until it was too late. Her parents had tried to help her learn how to manage this strange ability, but her own mother didn't know much, and with people getting feisty and feeding off each other's words, things got out of hand fast. They did what seemed right: sent their daughter off to live with someone they trusted just outside the village, out of harm's reach, where Ochaco was told her mother's friend, Inko, lived.

Her parents meant well, she understood. She would be safer out here. Ochaco still couldn't stop blaming herself for the rally that had gathered in front of her parents' wooden home. If she hadn't accidentally activated her powers with her father's buddies around, this wouldn't have happened.

Stupid girl.

"Welp, here we are!" Hanta declared happily; his hands tightening around the rope, ready to pull the horse to a stop.

Peeking out the front of the carriage, she saw the mushroom-shaped cottage, surrounded by tall but thin trees. It looked very different from the small, mass-produced timber houses back at the village, but she guessed they weren't breaking any rules by building this tall home way out here.

A chubby woman kept pacing back and forth outside, wringing her fingers nervously. By her was a boy of similar facial features standing rigidly like a badly trained swordsman, clearly nervous as well. As soon as the woman saw the carriage, she stumbled forward.

Hanta stopped the horse. "Evening!"

"Oh dear," Inko said. "I was so worried. I was beginning to think something might've happened on your way here!"

Hanta grinned widely. "Nah, it's all good."

Inko came around the back just as Ochaco climbed off. Before the teenager could introduce herself personally, Inko grabbed her face, inspecting her.

"Oh, you poor thing. You're freezing. Come inside, hurry."

"Oh, o – okay, ma'am, but, eh–" Ochaco pointed at the back of the carriage.

"I'll get your things. It's okay!" the boy, presumably the woman's son, assured her. He grabbed the side of the carriage and heaved himself up. Aside from her messenger bag and the leather pouch attached to her belt, her father's backpack wasn't as sturdy, so she'd left in in the carriage. The leather straps were weak and weathered out. Thankfully, the boy seemed to notice that and decided to hold the bag pressed to his chest before hopping off.

He later helped unload the bags of goods from the back of the carriage before replacing them with cloth wrapped breads and wooden boxes. Hanta was known for trading goods with the Midoriyas; one of the reasons why Hiroyuki Uraraka had decided to let this boy lead his daughter out. If someone were to ask of his disappearance, the boy had an alibi ready.

"I better go," Hanta informed, removing his hat to scratch at his head. "Mr. Uraraka might send me back to check on things later, so…"

"Oh, you're welcome anytime, dear." Inko pressed the cold girl to her side for warmth. "Tell her parents she'll be just fine with us."

"Gotcha'!" With that, the plain-faced boy turned the house around and drove off, back down the hill.

…

"Wait right here – I'll get you something warmer to wear."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ochaco said politely. This woman was so nice, and Ochaco felt ashamed for not greeting her properly.

"Please, just Inko," Inko informed. "I'm a friend of your mother's, if Hiroko hasn't told you."

"Oh, she did," Ochaco nodded, hugging herself. The house was much warmer inside.

The boy climbed down the tight spiral stairs with a clap-clap-clap of his shoes hitting wood, his arms full of blanket. "Here you go!" He fluffed out the blanket before carefully covering her shoulders, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you!" Ochaco cuddled into the fabric.

Bless this family. Their overall friendliness made her wish she'd met them earlier. She'd heard from her mother about Inko Up The Hill; she just never thought of going all the way out here to pay the kind woman a visit. Ochaco's mother had told her she'd used to be close to Inko, until the rumors and stigmatism against her reached a dangerous point and the woman packed her things and left. Inko seemed like a kind woman so far. Whoever, people liked to talk nasty; nasty words of her spread, Witchy words, and the woman fled. Ochaco couldn't blame her. Being framed for Witchcraft over rumors would've ended badly for poor Inko and her son.

"Here, Miss," the boy offered, placing a cut of braided bread wrapped in cloth in front of her. "I'm still moving some of my things out of my room. Mom said you can sleep in my bed, if that's alright with you. It's not polite to make a girl sleep on the floor." He kept his eyes downcast the whole time, afraid even just looking at her might seem disrespectful of him. Noticing the pink tint over his cheeks, it was clear he didn't have much experience talking to the other sex.

He seemed like a kind boy so far. From what she understood from her mother, Inko's son – Izuku – was a bastard. His father, according to word of mouth, had been an outsider – a traveler, and Inko never married.

The man had left without knowing he had left a son behind. He left them with nothing to inherit.

Inko came back with clothes draped over her arm. "Here you go, sweetie. I'm not thin enough for this anymore, but I'm sure it'll fit you just fine."

"Thank you so much," Ochaco said sincerely.

As soon as Izuku trotted back upstairs to prepare his room for the new guest, Ochaco saw the older woman wave her hand in a 'come here' motion and the stool a few feet away seemed to drag itself over to her, its wooden legs skidding across the floor.

Ochaco gasped in surprise. It was as if the chair had decided to come to life right before her eyes, yet, Inko acted like it was normal for inanimate objects to move by themselves.

Inko took a seat on the chair she ordered to come forth. "Now, sweetie. Did you figure out your power, yet? I'm sorry – Hiroko wasn't very detailed in her letter," she said kindly.

It was then that Ochaco realized what Inko was… It was bizarre to see another Witch in action. It was a nice feeling, knowing she wasn't alone.

"Oh, I, eh…" Ochaco stuttered, still shocked by the revelation, and looked down at her gloved hands that hid the pink pads on her fingertips. "I'm… not sure how it works. I made a few things float… I think?"

Inko smiled at her, gently placing a calming hand over hers. "It's alright, dear. Our powers aren't the same, but they're similar. You just need some practice, is all."

Ochaco had questions. So many questions. Was this why her parents sent her here? How much did they know? Would she be able to go home? Would her parents be in trouble because of her? Would her mother be seen as a potential Witch as well? Instead, the girl nodded. This woman was too nice. Ochaco had no right to complain.

"And if you're worried about your parents, please don't," Inko advised her kindly. "I've known them for years. Whatever it is happening down there, they can handle it. Now, eat up, get some rest, and we'll sort things out later today. Does that sound alright with you?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Inko, please," the chubby woman insisted.

"Ah, yes, Inko. Thank you again for everything." Ochaco managed to sound more enthusiastic this time, because she really did mean it.

...

"Izuku, honey, can you put one over there?"

"Got it!"

Behind the house, Ochaco watched as the Witch's son rolled a wooden barrel across the green field, leaving a line of flattened grass behind. He had laid out different items: a flask, a discarded wagon wheel, a hand-sized wooden chicken, a book, a pocket watch and so on. Ochaco wasn't sure how to use her power, so practicing outside was best. She'd abandoned her gloves, see how they weren't needed out here. Neither Inko nor Izuku seemed to care for the pink finger pads.

"All set, mom," Izuku grinned, giving the two ladies a thumbs-up. She'd just met him, and so far, she could see he was helpful, positive, and a little bashful. The boy's green over white clothes still managed to highlight his rather nicely built frame. Ochaco wasn't an expert in this field, but from what she understood, boys who weren't assigned into basic warrior training – let it be swordsmanship, archery, fencing, or such – never had bodies like that.

According to Inko, her son hadn't set foot in the village since they'd moved away; which was about seven years ago or so. Was he getting training elsewhere? If so, what for? He was – in the eyes of those who had never got to meet him – an outsider; someone who had no connections to the land down the hill. He wasn't tied down to the laws of noble bloodlines: the laws which forced the boys in the village to be trained and molded into defenders. No nobility would train a nobody... right?

He lived out here, alone with just his mother. Ochaco should've thought of that. While a community had safety in numbers, the Midoriyas were out in the open. They were sitting targets for ransackers and Outlaws looking for easy pickings. Ochaco then noticed the short sword case strapped to his belt, confirming her suspicions. This smiley boy knew, or at least, was learning to fight. With those wide eyes and many freckles on his face, it was hard to imagine this gentle lad being aggressive in any way.

"Okay, dear," Inko guided her to one of the items on the floor: the wooden chicken. "Do you remember how you did it last time?"

"I… I think I grabbed it…?"

"It's okay. Take your time to figure this out."

And she did, kneeling down and messing with the object, turning it to the side, tilting it. Nothing happened, until she held the wooden chicken with one full hand. It slowly started to float out of her hand.

"Ahh!" she gasped and clumsily grabbed it.

Inko clapped. "There you go!"

Turned out her pink finger pads were there for a reason. She'd thought they were some sort of deformity. It took her some time to figure out she had to touch with all five fingers, and even longer to understand how to release, which she had figured out how by accident.

And… there were the effects of it as well… she'd realized that hours too late.

"I think that's enough for today," Inko said sympathetically, rubbing the girl's back as Ochaco was on her knees, holding her stomach, feeling ready to vomit. It looked like Izuku was about to rub her shoulder worriedly, but then remembered it might not seem appropriate to touch her, stopping with his hand awkwardly hovering over her shoulder instead.

"Izuku, sweetie, why don't you fetch her some of those herbs?" Inko told him, helping Ochaco up.

…

Izuku's room was small, messy, but comfortable. The circular window was a cute touch, and Ochaco noted the many thick books the boy possessed. Many of them were of the Legendary AllMight. She'd seen a statue of the god on his eight-legged horse in the village, a muscular man capable of destroying a mighty dragon with one swing of his sword. He was the pillar of hope; however, that pillar failed to show itself for years now.

"I'm sorry about the mess," Izuku said sheepishly, grabbing a few of his notes and hiding them in the drawers.

Ochaco dropped back against the bed. "Hmm." She shook her head no. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

Flattered, he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's nothing, really."

She then realized something. "Wait, where are you sleeping, then?"

"Oh, I'll be downstairs. Don't worry, I've done it before," he reassured her quickly, not wanting her to worry about him.

"Are… Are you sure? I don't want to take your bed if–"

"It's fine! It's fine!" He turned to the collection of leather books and picked out the one with a feather sticking out from between the pages. He flipped through the pages and Ochaco caught a glimpse of a few sketches.

"Oh, you can draw?" she asked in amazement.

He flinched, caught off guard. "Ah… just… sketches of… you know… things I've seen. I'm not that good at it, really…"

"Can I see?" She excitedly scooted to the side, making room for him to sit next to her.

He looked surprised, like no one had ever asked him that before. "Oh, yeah. Sure… if you want. They're nothing special, so…" He carefully sat next to her, making sure to keep a good distance between them.

Ochaco, however, was having none of it, and scooted closer to open the book on his lap. The parchment papers had different sketches, each one done in different styles and using different materials, from red rock powders and mixtures of oils to tree extracted pastes. It was obvious he was using materials from the close woods to see what worked best.

He had sketches of buildings and his own designs of armor and weapons. He also drew a few animals: a fox, a bird, and a duck with its chicks behind it in a line.

"Izuku, these are amazing!" she stared at the brownish paper with bright eyes.

"Oh… umm… thanks." He blushed at the compliment.

She kept going, flipping through paintings of scenery: tree-sized mushrooms, a unicorn, dragons flying in a V formation, trees with glowing fruit (he'd used sparkling powder for that effect), and a house shaped like a snail's shell.

"Where did you see all these?" she asked in astonishment.

"I wander a lot." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "The forest has really nice things to see."

"The forest?" Ochaco gasped. "But… isn't that dangerous? I mean, aren't you afraid of bears or wolves?"

"Oh, I used to, but I don't think they care about me," he said simply.

Ochaco blinked. "Don't care…?"

He froze and seemed to think of an excuse. "Ah… they just walk by and leave me alone. I've never really had any problems with them."

Ochaco stared at him, processing his words. He talked like those animals were nothing to fear. She was told many stories of bear attacks and wolves ripping children apart.

As if reading her mind, he chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I used to think they are like monsters but… okay, look, if I… kind of… see one regularly…?" he whispered the last part, even though they were miles away from another house. "But he's not dangerous – I promise!"

"I ...don't understand. You see one? Like... a pet?"

"Ummm... like... a friend. It's fine. Really. The forest's safer than people think," he said with a sudden burst of excitement. His eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. He fiddled with his thumbs, deep in thought. "I like exploring. I want to know what's out there. I know staying here is safer, but… for how long? There's a whole other world out there. I don't want to just sit here. Do you know what AllMight used to do? He would travel around and help anyone who needed helping. He was a real hero." He seemed to be in his own little word.

Ochaco saw the drive in his eyes, the will to pursue what seemed too dangerous by many. She could tell the dream was embedded in his soul. The books in his room made more sense now. He admired this legend, and strived to be like him. While the idea of it seemed out of reach and somewhat childish, she had a feeling he wouldn't rest until he got to it.

She thought back to his words. A whole other world… He had gone into the forest and had seen such wonderful things. What else was out there?

She smiled brightly at him. "Can you show me sometime?" Her hands tightened into fists in anticipation.

He blinked in surprise. Never in his life had he ever thought he'd meet someone willing to risk for wonders. "Sure!"

…

He couldn't believe this.

Fuck this dust. Fuck this place. Fuck these bugs. Fuck everything. Nothing seemed to go right. It was like the gods wanted to curse him all at once. Well, fuck those gods! No god was taking their anger out on him. Heck, he should be the god, not them, then maybe things can stop being so shitty.

"You want inhuman strength? Got just the thing!" He remembered that girl's word's before she'd sold him that wolf pelt. He should've known this Mei and that bucket headed teacher of hers were located in a carriage out of village lines for a reason: they sold prohibited stuff. "Put this on and wah-lah! Inhuman strength. Give it a day to recharge and it's ready for another use! What do you say?" That bitch forgot to mention a number of things!

She never mentioned the wolf pelt would stretch and consume him and merge with him in a matter of seconds. She never mentioned he probably wouldn't be able to take the pelt off. She never mentioned it would turn him into a four-legged animal until his heavy body slumped to one side and he started having hot and cold flashes. Greedy bitch must've been waiting for him to lose his consciousness and opposable thumbs just to get to his bag of coins.

In the shed at the back of a strange house, he stared with blurry vision at the mouse that drank from his water dish. Rage bubbled in his chest, up his throat. He snapped at it. The rodent scurried on quick feet before the dish cluttered, avoiding the wolf's massive jaws just in time.

Katsuki Bakugo was not about to drink from the fucking dish on the floor!

Stained shovels lined one side of the wall. Hooks and rings of rope hung from the ceiling. Cobwebs breathed with each draft of air. An ax was among the shovels on the wall for some reason and a dry barrel was used as a storage container. Katsuki wasn't happy with how his body was splayed out on the floor. He had four feet, and wasn't sure where four feet went when laying down. It felt like he was stretching out on his belly with all limbs going wherever they wanted.

He heard the familiar foots steps of that boy just outside the shed. He could kill him. He could clamp his mouth down at his softer, weaker throat.

"Hey boy!"

He could pull his tender pink skin apart oh so easily.

"Sorry, I'm late. We had a guest over and I kinda had to show her around. She's really nice!"

The happy-go-lucky pipsqueak was all bright smiles and cheerful talk and Katsuki wouldn't mind ripping those right off, because what the hell was so funny? What was oh so hilarious in this situation?

"She's in trouble, though. She's going to stay with us for a little bit, so try not to scare her, okay?"

He could end him, right here, right now.

"Oh! You knocked your water again. It's okay! Hold on, I'll get you more."

So why didn't he…?

Why did he sound so familiar? He knew this boy… He'd seen him – known him before. His disoriented mind couldn't pinpoint who, though. His fever-like state had lessened in the past… – how long has it been since his transformation? Katsuki's mind had been almost useless then, hearing only the boy's voice at the time and not registering what words meant. But now, he was conscious enough to determine that, yes, he knew, or must've known this boy at some point.

Just… just where…?

…

"Here we go!" Izuku twisted the crank and grabbed the wet, now heavily filled bucket as it emerged from the well's depth, dripping and swinging by the rope it hung by.

It amazed him how such a fierce-looking creature could be so… human? It seemed like he could understand him somewhat. Or maybe that was just Izuku's human brain reading too much into things again. That blond wolf was bigger than any wolf he'd ever seen. He was bigger than the ones he'd accidentally come across feeding on dead antelope in the woods. He looked much different, too. For one, he was gigantic, maybe about the size of a medium horse. He was also saber-toothed, red-eyed and long-clawed. Izuku had had to ask Hanta to bring him books from Teacher Aizawa's library back at the village in exchange for rare herbs from the woods.

It had taken a few trips and multiple books, but he eventually got to a conclusion. The closest looking creature similar to the wolf in the shed behind their house was most likely a direwolf; though, the physical descriptions varied according to areas.

He'd brought over a creature that was near-mythical.

He understood nature was nature, and he shouldn't interfere. But when he'd found the wolf that day in the forest, it seemed like human interference had been involved even before he got there.

He'd been in the forest collecting items to trade when too many things happened all at once:

A horse-driven carriage drove by in a hurry.

He heard someone yelling and shouting from a distance.

The wolf came running blindly, drooling and slamming into trees, tripping over his own feet, almost like he'd never learned how to walk on all fours before. Izuku clearly remembered the horrified look on the animal's face. What did you do to me? Fix me, damn it! – his face read. Izuku wasn't sure if he'd imagined that. He'd managed to guide the beast by the muzzle away from where the voices were coming from. The wolf kept stumbling and walking on wobbly feet. He'd never seen a four-legged animal walk in such an uncoordinated manner. Inko was hysteric when she saw what he'd brought home.

"He's really sick, mom," he'd told her sadly.

"Izuku, what is that? Sweetie, please, let that animal go!"

"Mom, please… just until he feels better."

He didn't know when that would be. He was just glad his mother had a heart as big as his. Who else would let him keep a monstrous wolf behind their house? The animal didn't look hurt. He assumed he was sick, and feared he wouldn't make it through the night. To his relief, the wolf seemed healthier the next day, he even gobbled up the leftover dinner Izuku had provided him. Hopefully, he would be able to walk without falling later.

Izuku folded up his sleeves and dunked the dish into the filled bucket, pulling it out filled to the top.

...

"Katsuki!"

"Come out here, brat!"

"Katsuki! Son!"

"Katsuki Bakugo!"

The two parents, along with the small search team, stayed close together, holding onto the horses' ropes as to not lose them in the mess of greenery.

"Mrs. Bakugo, please don't go any further."

"And why not?" she dared the one in armor to answer her.

Tensei sighed. He hoped his calm approach would work with this stubborn mother. "Please. We're all here to look for Katsuki. Stick together. It's very easy to lose someone in this forest."

"Ma'am, we've already past the protected zone," Masaki, another armored fella, informed her in a pleading manner. "Predatory animals live around here."

"More of a reason to find my son right now," Mitsuki insisted angrily.

"Ah – Ma'am, hold on!" Before Masaki could stop this crazy woman who seemed to have zero respect for government authority, she simply reached down and took his sword like it was the easiest job she'd done and turned away, leaving him stunned. With the item in hand. It was her way of saying any wolf, or man, to come at me will be headless.

Used to his wife's personality, Masaru turned to the only witness who could help them locate their son. "You said he went in a carriage?"

Eijiro rubbed the back of his neck. "He said he was going to meet someone." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Told me to wait back cause it wasn't my business. I don't know what happened. I heard him yell so I ran after him." He glanced at Shota. The man in black was crouched near the ground, examining the faint carriage wheel marks over flattened grass. The boy continued explaining, "Just saw the carriage zoom by. Didn't get what happened." Eijiro bit his lip in shame. "I'm sorry. My mind went blank."

Masaru clapped the boy on the shoulder. "I don't expect you to keep up with a horse, boy." The man sighed. "This isn't the first time Katsuki's gotten himself tangled up in a mess."

"I swear that kid gives me more grey hairs by the minute!" Mitsuki swore from a distance.

Shota stood up with a grunt. "Hey kid," he called lamely without turning to look the boy in the eyes. "You didn't see anyone around after it drove off?"

Confused, Eijiro thought. "Umm… no? Sorry, I'm not sure. Wasn't really focusing on anythin' else."

Shota's only response was a hum. His tired but trained eyes remained focused on the blond patches of fuzz clinging to the branches of nearby bushes.

Masaru approached the man carefully. "Is something the matter?"

Shota had a gut feeling, but no evidence to go off of. He had nothing to link his farfetched theory with. There was animal fur a few feet from the carriage marks. Had the carriage been stalked? Did Eijiro's fail to see a creature? But Shota couldn't depend on a random guess. There was nothing to confirm the two events happened at the same time, and while the place was known for being a haven for wolves, the fur could've belonged to any animal.

"Get on your horses. We'll need to head back."

"Wait, hold on! You can't give up now!" Eijiro panicked. "What about–!"

"We need to inform the council where we need to go before heading out," Shota informed him nonchalantly. "It's for safety precautions. In case we don't come back, they'll know where to look for us."

…

It turned out she just needed to get used to it. This power. Once it became clear the item was easy enough to float, Izuku would add a little more water into the cask to add more weight. They made sure to keep a flask of soaked herbs nearby for when she needed to replenish. Inko was inside the house by the window, chopping up soft purple stones and wrapping them up for later transport. She had no use of them, but knew many would need them as an ingredient for other things. Living next to the forest, it was easy to find such things. These stones were free to them while those downhill would need to buy them.

"You did it! It's floating"

"It's going too high! Is it really okay if I let it go now?"

"Umm... maybe if you step back a little then drop it?"

The cask dropped suddenly on command and water splashed on both of them. Izuku yelped and comically landed on his back. Inko had to take a break from stone chipping and giggled lightly at the scene.

"Gahhh… Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry! I did that too soon…"

It was nice to see her boy having fun with someone else. He'd been picked on a lot back at the village. It had been one of the main reasons why she'd moved her tiny family out here. The Witchy rumors had had her panicking, and thoughts of her baby getting targeted… She wouldn't have it. Not her baby. Not her Izuku.

He was a sweetheart, a soul like no other. The village wanted their image of an ideal man: rough and loud and proud. Izuku just wasn't meant to be any of those things. She didn't see him as a category like how the village saw him as. The people had already molded ideas: men should be rough; women didn't know any better; different is wrong – Did you hear what whatshername did? –My kid should marry your kid. What's the bridal price?

'Your son cries a lot. Even my daughter doesn't cry that much. Is he alright?' He would've cred less if your kids would stop attacking him.

'Izuku doesn't play like other boys'. And that's perfectly alright. He knew he'd get hurt if he tried to play with the other kids. He was a delicate boy. The boys back there played rough. They deliberately hurt him. He learned to stay away. He learned they weren't worth bruises.

'Your son's very skinny, Inko. Did you at least try to be more forceful when feeding him?' Oh, no. She could never force her boy to do anything. He was a good kid, why couldn't they see that? Why couldn't they see past their ideals and just see him as a person than a symbol? Izuku was Izuku.

When the village only had molds for blocks, but they were given a more complex shape to work with, of course, they'd decided to just force it in rather than work with it.

'You'll have a hard time getting him married.'

'You should've eaten more meat when pregnant."

'Did you ever look for a husband? Maybe he just needs a dad.'

Izuku was just Izuku.

To Inko, he was perfect.

…

'You're so weak! Stop crying!'

'He's no fun to play with.'

'My ma' said his ma's a wicked evil lady!'

'She's… she's not! Mom's… Mom's a gre – great mom!'

'You're so weak. You cry all the time. You can't protect anyone – you're just a scaredy-cat!'

'St – Stop sa – saying mean things, Katchan…'

'Weak, scaredy-cat, De–'

–Ku! The wolf's eye snapped wide open.

Why had he not realized it earlier? How had he been so fucking blind? That was him. That was definitely him! The boy was the kid from his childhood. The boy was Izuku up the hill. That was Deku!

Katsuki heaved himself up on wobbly legs and almost flopped back down. It felt like he was on one of those medicines his mom used to give him for coughs that made him feel sleepy. He shook his head and took a shaky step forward. He still had no clue how to walk on four legs properly. Those long things were hard to coordinate.

A string of light shone through the half-open door of the shed. The boy always left it that way in case the animal wanted to leave. Huh. With his snout and big head, Katsuki push the door open. Sunlight stabbed his sensitive eyes. His head spun and he had to steel himself from collapsing. How long had he been resting?

"Are you sure you want to keep going? You don't feel sick?"

"I'm good! I'll just rest a bit."

"Alright. Oh, here! Drink some of this. Mom takes it sometimes to work overnight."

"Thanks!"

He could hear him with someone. Over there. He could make it. Katsuki staggered like a sick horse, stopping momentarily to vomit. It hadn't occurred to him how yellow the world was. The unusual canine vision was giving him the worst migraine. A wet snarl bubbled out his throat and – at this point – he didn't care that he stepped over his own gunk because damn those big paws were hard to move around with.

There! There was a person! He couldn't see shit with all those black spots around the corners of his eyes. He was too grumpy to think about it. He made out the salute of a figure drinking out of a gourd canteen. That… was not Deku. That person was a girl. Damn it… damn it all! He'd made it all the way here, only to find the wrong person.

A frustrated growl rumbled out his chest; the behavior done without his control. His world swayed.

The girl dropped the flask.

…

Izuku came back to a scene that almost gave him a heart attack. The animal had gotten out of the shed and was growling at the petrified guest. Izuku stumbled forward and, as he reached for his sword, the wolf tilted and collapsed on his own.

Ochaco crawled back in fear, away from the giant thing that had appeared behind her. She'd heard steps and had assumed it was Izuku or his mother… not this.

"Izuku! Ochaco!" Inko stepped out of the house and called fearfully. "Kids, come inside, hurry!"

Ochaco wasted no time hurrying over, tripping twice in her haste. Izuku lingered, hand releasing his sword when it became apparent the wolf wasn't attacking their guest. The animal gave a heavy grunt, his shoulders and sides flexing with the movement. The boy moved to take a look at the animal's face, and saw the closed eye, half-open mouth, and heard the rumbling of the beast's chest. He caught a glimpse of the eye snapping open; gaze – too human – glaring back at him, examining him.

"Izuku!" his mother worriedly called again.

The boy ran back.

…

"Inside – hurry! Hurry!" Inko slammed the door and moved the iron deadbolt to barricade them in. "Are you two okay? My goodness… I turn my back for a second and come back to this… Oh dear." She checked them over, her hands going over their faces, shoulders, necks.

"Miss Inko, We're okay!"

"We're fine, honest!"

She had to stop fretting over them and sighed. "Thank goodness…"

Ochaco, still shaken from what she'd seen, looked at the door as if the monster would come crashing through any minute. "What… What was that…? Was that a wolf?" She'd never thought them to be that big. They were much scarier than she first imagined. She'd been told they were like big, nasty dogs. The size of that thing astonished her more than anything.

Izuku ran up to the small window Inko had been using to watch on them and took a look outside. The wolf had gotten up and was sniffing the ground; the spot Izuku had been standing in. The two Witches joined him by the window. The wolf looked up, straight at them, and began strolling forward.

Inko immediately lowered the curtains, panicking. "Oh dear, oh dear. Honey, why did you have to bring it home with you?"

"He wasn't feeling well, mom." That didn't answer her question very well.

Inko hoped it would wander back into the forest on its own. However, it seemed like the wolf had other ideas. Everyone was silenced by the sound of heavy breathing and snarling by the door. It sounded like her son's rescue was out to get them.

"Do you want me to start a fire?" Izuku asked. Animals didn't know what a sword was, but they feared the light of fire. They could scare the beast off and into the woods without risking any physical fights. Inko wondered if that was worth the risk, or if they could simply wait for it to give up and leave.

"It's alright. Just make sure it can't get in. Can you check if all doors and windows are locked? Let's just wait for it to head home own on its own, okay?"

When Ochaco lifted the curtains, she couldn't find the creature. She also found it suspiciously quiet by the door. Unsure of the animal's whereabouts, she was left standing there like a useless houseplant as the Midoriyas ran here and there, checking every house opening.

Surprisingly, from the front door, they heard a rhythmic knock-knock-knock on the door.

Everyone froze. That… hadn't been expected…

"Miss Midoriya? Miss Midoriya, please, don't fear. It's, me, Tensei, you're old friend. I've come with permission from the council. May I please come in?"

Izuku and Inko looked at each other, perplexed.

The door was knocked again.

"Inko Midoriya. This is Shota Aizawa. Let's make this quick."

"Great Teacher Aizawa?" Izuku whispered. They had members of the council at their front door. "Why are they here?" Aizawa had never come to their home before. What could possibly drive him to ride a horse all the way out here? The only recent event that could explain his visit was–

"Are they here for me?" Ochaco asked anxiously.

Why else would members of the council be here? What had King Endeavor done with her parents? What would they do to her if they brought her back?

Sensing her panic, Inko cupped the younger girl's face. "They won't have you, sweetie. Izuku, can you–" sneak her out the back? No. They weren't sure if the animal was still lurking there.

They were trapped in their own house.

…

Tall trees with long fingers and plenty of deformities were perfect homes for other animals, from the mighty wolves gnawing on bone, to the wild squirrel ripping nuts off branches. There was one, however, that did not belong. The inhuman grunts sent even the greatest of beasts running. Tearing down trees with careless shoves here and there with its oversized hands, the beaked monster stepped through the woods, barefoot; beaked mouth full of human teeth; brain, uncovered and exposed. Its purple body-mapped with stitches to hold it together – was almost naked with only a shredded pair of pants; the only thing that seemed human.

Wolves abandoned their carcasses. Squirrels scattered up trees and into leaves for safety. The Frankenstein monster didn't seem interested in animals, though. It had a clear path of where to go. It was no bloodhound, nevertheless, the smell of sweat and hair and clothes and campfires and everything non-forest was enough of a trail.

 ** _TBC_**

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _\- A big thanks to the talented artist for the wonderful artwork!_

 _\- The size of the wolf has been exaggerated here._

 _\- This has been posted earlier on AO3_  
 _\- I apologize for posting this in chapters rather than the whole thing._  
 _\- I'm hoping to be able to explain a few things about the story at the end of the second chapter._


	2. Chapter 2

**Keepers Of The Hill**

 **SevenRenny**

 **Two**

They could've picked a better hiding spot, but it sounded like Shota was getting impatient. The downstairs cellar had been a split-second decision; one she'd agreed to out of desperation and panic. The short wooden stairs had felt weak, sad and badly made, creaky. There were no lights, and she could barely see anything other than outlines of boxes and barrels and structures covered in sheets. She had hid between two boxes used as storage – beneath a sheet hanging over her like a tent. Footsteps of people coming and going above her were heard clearly. At the same time, there was another, stranger noise coming from the end of the room; something like the rattling of chains and clapping of old wood against wood. She couldn't make out what it was…

"I'm sorry for the surprise visit, Miss Midoriya..." She heard the muffled voice of Tensei Iida coming from above. She used to see him around the village, most of the time in regular clothes, practicing with his sword. In rarer times: in armor, on his way to more important duties. She could hear the clunking of his heavy gear as he stepped around.

"It's quite alright. I'm sure you're just doing your job," Inko assured him.

"Still, I wish I'd visited more often. Izuku, it's been a while. You've grown."

"Ah – hi, Mr. Iida. Thanks."

"Please. Just Tensei. Mr. Iida makes me feel old." He laughed lightly.

Turned out it wasn't just him and Shota here, but Mrs. Bakugo as well. It confused her as to why she would be here. She wasn't from the council, and she lived too far away from the Urarakas to be interested in her case.

"Look at you, kid – all muscle now!" Ochaco could imagine the fierce woman ruffling Izuku's hair.

With all the talking going on upstairs, Ochaco couldn't ignore the strange noises coming from all around. Peeking from under the sheet hanging over her, she searched for the noise, waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. A line of light cut across the floor from the exterior bulkhead door. With every wooden clap, the line of light thinned. It could've been the wind, she told herself… or… something, or someone, was messing with the door.

"Enough chitchat," she heard Shota grumble. "Let's get straight to matters at hand."

"Of… Of course… Yes. Please, have a seat. I'm sorry if there isn't enough room. I don't usually get visitors."

Ochaco's anxiety shot up, torn between focusing on the conversation and the metallic Scraaaatch-click-click from somewhere in the room with her. Cutlery cluttered. Something was moving about in the cellar. Something alive and moving about.

"Can I ask who do you trade with?" Shota asked bluntly

"Oh… I'm… sorry, but we don't give out names… Why do you ask?" Inko sounded nervous. Unsure.

"Katsuki's missing," Mitsuki blurted out.

"Katsuki?" Inko repeated with surprise.

"Brat disappeared right before his brawl tournament," Mrs. Bakugo said bitterly. "Kid jumps from one problem to another."

"A witness said he last saw the boy leave in someone's carriage heading uphill," Shota explained.

Ochaco was guilty to admit she felt relieved. They weren't looking for her.

"If you don't mind," Shota added. His chair skidded over the floor as he got up. "We'll be searching the place."

…

Shota saw Inko's face turn white. Her son looked panicked as well. The Midoriyas were terrible at pretending to be oblivious. Good. This would make things easier for him.

"Katsuki isn't one to sit still," Mitsuki reminded him. "I doubt we'll find him here."

Tensei placed a comforting hand on Mitsuki's shoulder. "We'll need to look for clues, just to be sure."

Shota nodded at the man partially covered in armor. "You, stay with them," he ordered before going up the spiral stairs to search the building top to bottom. Mitsuke had a point: her son wasn't one to go down easily. From what he knew of the boy, he was a champion in sword fights and dueling and thought highly of himself. He had an ego higher than the King's throne and the ferocity of a wolverine. He may have been drugged, perhaps. The Midoriyas may or may not have been aware of what the kidnappers had in there ride, but by the looks of shock in their faces, they probably had something around he wasn't supposed to see.

Upstairs seemed clear of any suspicion. A mess, but nothing that said Katsuki had been around. Going downstairs, however, there was a hallway designed to be a bedroom, or a temporary one. Some books were stacked over each other against the wall. Someone here could read. It was rare, for a rural person to be literate. A homemade blanket was folded on the floor, as well as a flask and a knife in its case nearby. He went back to the group he'd left waiting at the table being guarded by Tensei.

"Where do you keep your tradables?" Shota asked.

"Oh, scattered about. Some things like warmer places around the house," Inko said, standing up to grab a potted Venus flytrap from the kitchen windowsill and plopped it on the table. "We can't keep things like this in storage."

"Interesting." Tensei rotated the pot to have a look at the carnivorous plant. "How do you keep track of everything, if I may ask?"

"Everything's written down on a list."

"Does it include dates?" Shota asked.

"Well, some of them. Some are approximate. We need to know when we receive items and when to expect exchanges."

"Good," Shota said. "I'll need to have a look at it, if you won't mind." The list might give him possible hints. It might also reveal nothing and end up being a waste of time.

The rolled-up parchment paper had lines going through them like arrows, crossing items off the list with black ink. He realized why Inko had handed it over so easily. He had no clue what most of the listed items were. It was like a puzzle. The lined ink was so thick it obscured the center of the words. The words he could make out: stones, food, materials, plants, mixtures he wasn't familiar of, shells, wood carvings and so on. One crossed out item caught his eye: a simple thing, to most people – maybe considered treasured to some hunters. Harmless as décor to others.

"What's this?" he asked, tapping a finger against the paper.

Inko took a look. "Oh, that. Just something we traded off not too long ago," she explained politely, her hands clasped together.

"Where is it now?" his question sounded more of a demand.

"I can't say," Inko said. "They were interested in a number of things here. That's all I can give you. I'm sorry."

Information he could use. He knew where to start now. "Where'd you keep it before handing it over?"

"Oh, we have had at the back of the shed."

"Show me."

…

Wolf pelt: a desirable thing, yes. Imported from who knows where, then that was eerie. With the large number of wolves in the area, it was best to hunt and skin one yourself. Getting one without knowing its full history can be problematic. Souls of warriors who died whilst wearing them tended to hitchhike on treasured clothing. Pelts were also used as practice for witchcraft and curses.

But of course, most people didn't know that. Most people weren't readers like Shota Aizawa. Most people weren't traders, like Inko Midoriya and her son, who somehow knew how to read and write.

Inko had her boy lead him out the back. Apparently, he worked around the shed more than she did. That did not explain Inko's suspicious glances out the window, looking into the forest – at anything that moved or made a sound – or how the boy kept looking around, as if they were being followed out the house.

"Something wrong?" Shota asked him impatiently.

The boy startled. "Oh, no sir!"

The shed door was left ajar. One would think they'd want stored items more secure. Or maybe they never thought they'd ever deal with theft out here. There was a foul odor nearby, along with the sound of buzzing flies. If it weren't for the flock of winged bugs near the ground, he wouldn't have been able to see the soupy mess on the grass: a mammal's vomit.

The boy in front of him stepped to the side to let him have a look at the shed's interior. Menacing hooks hang from the ceiling, as well as old tools and big screws against the wall. Animal skulls, deer antlers and feathery dream catchers dangled from the sky or were stuck to the walls. A wooden butter churn that looked to be unused for quite a while sat with its plunger sticking out. Tufts of fur waved at them on the floor with the drifts of air coming from the open door.

"You had it here?" Shota asked, looking down at the animal fur.

"Yes sir." The boy straightened his posture, now that the older man was paying more attention. "I brushed it out here. It had insects and a bad smell when we first got it. I had to clean it and dry it out. Parts of it fell off when cleaning."

"Hmmm… And it was still presentable?"

"The… uhhh, client thought so."

"Did you see any marks on it when you handled it?"

"Marks, sir?"

"Symbols. Unusual colors. Burns. Anything of that sort?"

The boy rubbed his cheek as he thought deeply. "I… hadn't noticed. No, I don't think I saw anything like that. But the pelt was incomplete when we got it. I hope that helps."

It did. If there was a curse mark, it had been torn off – whether by accident or not.

"And you can't tell me who gave it to you?"

"We don't give out names. I'm sorry, sir. We don't want trouble with anyone. I… hope you understand."

"I won't rat you guys out, if that's what you're worried about."

"We'd appreciate that very much, sir. I'm sorry I couldn't help more." The kid was taking the offer but not giving anything in return. That little runt…

Outside the shed, the carpet of grass thinned near the wall of the cottage. A wooden door lay flat on the grassy floor with a metal ring for a handle; dirt, dead leaves and loose grass sprinkled over it. A broom leaned against the house – something used to once in a while brush debris off the wooden surface. A heavy padlock went through the ring and a latch. A locked cellar. They'd left the shed wide open, but felt the need to keep the cellar chained shut.

Shota knelt and gave the ring a useless yank. The metal rattled. "Open it up," he ordered.

…

The boy had to hurry and get the ring of keys from his mother. She tossed it to him through the window she'd been looking out from the whole time. The boy came trotting back – keys ringing in hand.

The young man had to heave the door off the ground. Their shadows cracked down the stairs, zigzagging into the dark depths below. Izuku grabbed a lantern on the second step and knocked lightly on the glass, awaking the fireflies inside. They shone brightly like cat eyes in the night with some floating softly and some buzzing around erratically.

Shota followed the boy with the light down the weak stairs. Old dirt – collected over the years from going up and down the stairs – crunched beneath their shoes. The trip down was short. Shota took the lantern from the boy and navigated his way. What he thought was rope on the floor turned out to be shed snake skin; coiled in repetitive circles. A pot held the bottom of a few canes, some with a cobra heads carved at the top, some with birds: crows and owls, one with a lizard with its tail going down and wrapping around the stick.

Everything smelled of dust and horse. But there was no horse. Or, maybe, there were once parts of a horse, at some point. An elevated shelf on the wall held up a number of colorful glass bottles. One blue-filled bottle had what looked like tiny mushrooms growing inside. One bottle was filled with sand. Thousands of fat, green glowing ants went up and down tunnels they'd created in the soil.

There was the sound of scraping claws and a snort. Muffled wings clapped somewhere Shota couldn't see. Out of the corner of his eyes, a ghostly blanket breathed in. Lantern in hand, he turned and held the light out. The boy behind him winced and shielded his eyes with his arms.

"Mr. Aizawa?"

A long fabric was draped over boxes, and a raspy breath came from beneath the covering of sheets. This was no gust of wind or creaking of wood. The dangling edges of the blanket swayed like heavy curtains, hardly touching the ground.

"Is… is everything okay?" Izuku asked him cautiously. "Do you need help finding something?"

Something was shuffling and moving about just out of sight. Shota heard it.

"I can help if… if you're in a hurry, sir. There are medical herbs and leeches over there, if you'd like to take a look."

Shota tried to not suspect the kid of ill intent; however, he seemed to be intentionally talking over the noise. He had also ignored the older man's suspicious halt, and was now trying to redirect him away. Maybe Shota was jumping to conclusions. Maybe the lack of air down here was getting to him. The boy glanced at the blanket-tent at the next sound of something bumping against a crate and the whole structure shifted to one side. The boy winced and stilled, dreading the older male's next reaction.

This was no hallucination, Shota confirmed. His free hand checked the coiled whip attached to his hip before glancing at the boy, checking the distance between them. Izuku didn't seem to be much of a threat, but Shota wasn't about to underestimate him, and if there was something the boy was trying to keep hidden, then Shota would rather be safe then get stabbed in the back. The fireflies in the lantern weren't as bright as he wanted them to be. In one motion, Shota grabbed the loose part of the sheet and flipped it up.

A winged black cat beneath hissed at him.

He'd expected a living creature, just not this. The longer fur on the sides of its neck mimicked the hood of a cobra. The cat stood on its hind legs like a squirrel and held onto a cockroach with its front claws, giving Shota one more hiss as if to say – main!

"Eh?" Izuku's yelp almost sounded like a shout. "What? How… how did you get out?"

Izuku couldn't get any closer than a step. The winged cat stuffed the cockroach into its mouth and darted between Shota's longer legs. The creature had a curly monkey tail that bounced behind it. It jumped and attached itself onto a hanging birdcage on the ceiling, wrapping its tail around it for security. The empty wire cage swung with the added weight and the animal climbed around it like a squirrel going up a branch, reaching the top and sniffing the ceiling for a way, cockroach still in its mouth, a few legs awkwardly sticking out along with part of an antenna.

"Oh no no no – please, come down?" The boy was panicking. There was a slight possibility the creature could climb over the wooden beam. It would be difficult to catch it then. He looked around the dark room, forgetting that the lantern was still with Shota, then finally seemed to remember where the tall cane basket he was looking for was, all while taking quick glances at the winged cat as it tried to eat the cockroach in its mouth while still holding on to the cage.

Shota had read about these long-tailed cats before – even got to see a few very brief glimpses of them from afar when they jumped on people's roofs to get around. He'd never gotten to see them up close for this amount of time. He wouldn't advise on keeping one indoors, though. He was no expert on the Tailypo, but he was sure it was as dangerous as keeping a wild bobcat as a pet.

Izuku fumbled with the basket. The wooden clasp of the lid was free and pointing at an angle, the stitching holding it sliding around. "It came loose. Is this how you got out? Hold on, let me… Don't move – I'll be right there!"

He flipped the lid up, ignored the second winged cat inside, and grabbed one of the many fur pieces tucked in there. At the sight of the fur in his arms, the winged cat clinging to the cage eased to the bottom and used its tail to hang upside-down freely. It willingly allowed Izuku to grab it through the fur blanket and its tail wrapped loosely around the boy's neck instead. Izuku had to awkwardly get the tail off of him when placing the creature back in the basket. He messed with the latch, making extra sure it wouldn't come loose again. "You're not old enough to be out yet. I'm sorry."

"Pets of yours?"

The boy must've forgotten Shota was there, because he almost immediately let his guard up. "No, sir. They're orphaned. Their mother was shot. Someone else will to take them in."

"And you're sure this person knows what they're getting into?" Shota asked skeptically.

"Yeah! He's very knowledgeable with animals. I know he'll take care of them."

…

"–don't know what to do with that boy. He's broken so many bones in those tournaments and oh-ho people are not happy, let me tell you that. Now he goes missing…" Mitsuki complained, sounding more angry than worried, before taking another chug of ale from a mug.

"I'm sure they'll find him, Mitsuki dear."

"I swear, if he's off traveling without giving us a heads up and we're here looking for him – I will personally mount his head on the wall."

Inko had focused her attention on her friend after it seemed like the wolf wasn't around, and it was almost impossible to eavesdrop on what was happening downstairs while answering Mitsuki at the same time. "Did he say he'd like to visit somewhere?"

"Said he wanted to make a name for himself. Make himself known." Mitsuki rubbed her forehead, sighing. The fang necklace swung back and forth when she leaned against the table, the trophy just inches away from the line between her breasts. "Why do I have a feeling he'll turn up on his own?"

"Maybe he'll come back in a few days. You'll never know, dearie."

"He'd better."

Mitsuki wasn't a woman to be messed with. She made sure those who didn't take her seriously left with their tails between their legs. Her reputation among the public was… mixed. On one side, there were those who couldn't take their eyes off her. This beautiful woman had men scrambling for words. A born leader, she was. A good one, at that. She also – as the ladies of the Town's market liked to say – liked to bite when it was right. On the other hand, some weren't comfortable with her independent nature. She gave no hint of concern for her own safety when out setting animal traps. "What about the house? The children? How will you have time? What if you get hurt?"– Questions came and went, and she would remind folks "it's my business" because Mitsuki had no time for old lady talks. She didn't mind "if, one of those bear traps she puts up were to chump off a finger or two or a hand." Why take such a risk, they wondered. To think such a pretty thing would end up scratched by leaves and bitten by insects and dirtied with mud… she could've taken a safer career!

And then, there was the whole deal with her marriage with Masaru. Oh, how could this perfect creature decline the hands of strong men and go after the unmanly Draper? He was a kind man; quiet, but kind. But, some felt the strong, like Mitsuki, belong with the strong. That was the logic, wasn't it? She declared Masaru good enough. "Oh, hush up. You missed out on this one. He's got balls. Damn good ones," she'd declared.

Mitsuki kept on doing her thing, leaving traps around the edge of the village, hopefully bringing something back, and teaching pack animals that fellow pack members wouldn't return to the den. She and her husband made little business in the village with a small population, but spent well over at the weekly town market. The village knew they were doing well on that department. Or else, why would they be treated so decently?

Then came Katsuki, a surprising but liked result of the breeding of two people with opposite personalities. He was a male version of his mother, only louder and even more aggressive. He beat most kids his age in traditional village games – wrestled them into the ground, held them down – broken a few fixable bones. A brutal winner – Atta boy! – The crowd would cheer. Like throwing a wild dog in a group of puppies and watching him toss them around. He was talented in many ways, eager to go into those slippery mud pits and grab that squealing pig and trip kids who got to it first.

Dragon wrangling was even better. Those Mud Dragons liked to dig holes, so they were easy to find. Being the size of medium dogs, and having the need to charge their fire for a long time before they could shoot them a few inches away from their snouts for only a few seconds at a time, they weren't much of a threat. They were slow, and as long as they had their wings tied behind their backs, the rambunctious kids only had to worry about claws and teeth – pulling on the whiptail was safer, though it did cut palms if they weren't fast enough. It was a thrilling game. To prod at living things and see them react. The village was boring. Katsuki wanted something to get him moving. That wild energy of his was praised in public, but not so at home. Having two Mitsukis under one roof proved challenging. Caging him would only agitate him. It was clear to Mutsuki, he wanted out.

…

Shota and Izuku appeared in the hallway through a floor hatch. The cellar had more than one way in, Shota found out. Dusting himself off, he climbed out and noticed how the blanket on the floor he'd seen earlier had folded under the hatch door.

Hands behind his back, Tensei turned away from the wooden swan carving he was inspecting by the flower vase. "Should I ask or…?"

"I'll explain later," Shota said. "We should head back. Mrs. Midoriya, we'll be taking our leave."

"Huh?" Mitsuki turned to him and threw her elbow behind the back of her chair. "That was fast."

"Nothing of interest here," Shota said.

"Figured you wouldn't find anything here." She chugged her drink quickly, not wanting it to go to waste.

"We needed to be sure. The carriage could've gone further ahead or went off the dirt trail. We'll take our search elsewhere. Sorry for the disturbance." Shota stopped by the door; far enough so Mitsuki wouldn't ask him 'search elsewhere? Where?' Thankfully for him, she didn't.

Outside, Masaki held on to the horses' ropes. The animals grazed, flicked their ears, and one kept pushing Masaki with its head just for fun. They understood that break time was over when Mitsiku and Tensei came into view and the horse shoving Masaki stopped its foolishness.

"Aizawa, a moment, if you please?" Inko begged from the doorway of her home.

Shota looked at her, at the boy next to her with the worried look on his face, then back to his comrades on their horses. Mitsuki mouthed something close to 'what now?' Everyone watched him curiously.

What a pain.

"I'll be with you shortly," Shota said with exhaustion, too tired to yell. They somehow heard his message, thankfully. Masaki busied them with a map and Tensei pitched in, something about family armor.

"I'm so sorry I called you back," Inko whispered, her hands grabbing fistfuls of her dress.

Shota tilted his head and – crack – rubbed the back of his tired neck. "Better now than on the horse."

"My son and I hope you find Katsuki. I'm sorry we couldn't be of much help."

"No, there wasn't much here to begin with. Did you need anything?"

"This might sound unimportant, but we felt the need to inform you." Inko wrung her hands anxiously. "The forest animals have been acting strangely. We're not sure if it's just this region, but do, perhaps, keep that in mind if you plan to head off-road?" she begged.

"Strangely? Strangely how?"

"Not aggressive, just… not usual. Leaving their food uneaten, being noisy, ground animals on trees. Unusual."

Ground animals on trees? "Thank you for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."

As the man walked back to his black horse, the wolf's ears rotated, hearing his footsteps from afar. Red eyes fixated on the small pack of horses as the trotted off, kicking dust behind them. After hearing the council members, he'd had to back away into the shadows of long, skinny trees reaching out from the ground – away from the cottage to observe the situation from afar. Katsuki had gone from wrestling animals, to an animal on all fours, watching from the edge of the woods as his mother rode away on a horse alongside people he once knew.

A growl of frustration rumbled in his chest. His lips curled up, showing off the teeth his mother tended to sell as jewelry or weaponry.

...

The Midoriyas didn't have time to collapse in relief. As soon as the horses were out of sight, Izuku almost slipped on his way back to the hallway, sliding on his knees over the floor and grabbing the hatch door in a hurry. Making it halfway down the cellar's ladder before deciding jumping off would be a faster way down. He grabbed the firefly lantern Shota Aizawa had left behind. The sudden jostle awoke the beetles – the lantern blinked.

"Miss Uraraka?" Where could she have gone? How could she have changed hiding spots while Shota had been searching around? Or had she moved before they'd gone down there? "Miss Uraraka, can you hear me? They're gone – you can come out now!" He remembered when Shota was ready to peel away the sheet Ochaco was supposed to be underneath. That had been a nightmare. He was sure his heart had galloped too fast and tripped over itself and get back up again.

"Miss Uraraka?" A sickening thought struck him. Did she think they were trying to hand her over to the council? He'd never. He'd been ready to reach for his sword when Shota Aizawa had grabbed at the sheet. "Miss Uraraka, we didn't know they'd find this place. Please, come out… I'm so sorry this happened. They weren't looking for you! It's… It's okay! You're still safe…"

He heard a thud from above, followed by what sounded like a trail of sand rushing to the ground. Izuku aimed the lantern up, and stared for a full minute at Ochaco hugging the beam on the ceiling like a koala bear, her eyes struggling to look behind her from that awkward angle.

"H…Hi." She managed to breathe out a short laugh, panting from exhaustion.

Izuku was at a loss for words.

How did she get up there? How long had she been up there?

To his horror, she started slipping, and he only had a split second to think of what to do through panic and foggy confusion. Catching her felt like his arms would come off with the sudden extra weight of another person being dropped. The lantern clucked on the ground and the glass door popped open.

Izuku had never been physically close to any girl in his life. In fact, he had abandoned any thoughts or hopes of contact with people in general. Living with people hadn't ended well, and now that he and his mother moved away, strangers didn't stay too long. Encounters with playful young daughters of costumers, or even older women, were sometimes… confusing, due to his naïve mind and inexperience with social exchanges – Playfully booping him on the nose, throwing jokes that went over his head, brushing his hair as if he were their own child…

He wasn't sure what to do in these particular situations. He'd always been on the unsure end. While he wasn't living in the village and didn't have to use traditional rules anymore, that didn't mean other people from different places visiting the cottage didn't have their own traditional views. Some were so strict he felt like walking on eggshells around them, while others were so lax it didn't seem like any rules applied. He wasn't part of any community to blend in, but he was also exposed to a verity coming and going, he wasn't sure how to behave around others anymore.

It was always him who looked confused. It was never him and the guest.

He forgot whatever he'd wanted to ask her the second he saw her gazing at him.

Fireflies drifted around the room. The lantern had popped open. The tiny orbs highlighted drifting dust particles that had come down from the ceiling. One firefly flew between his face and hers, and that gave him enough time to see her clearly. Wide-eyed, curious, still very perplexed. He heard her release a breath she was holding.

"I…"

"Uh–"

The tiny birds inside their brains which had fallen out of their nests managed to flip back up.

They both blushed, the threat of close proximity suddenly being all too obvious.

"I – I'm sorry–"

"Oh gosh! I didn't mean – I –"

"Do you… d – do you need to – I mean –"

"–I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine! Can I… put you down? Can you stand?"

"…Oh! Yes! I mean, yeah, if you want – I meant–! I can… I can stand…"

They awkwardly looked at the ground while Ochaco struggled to stand on wobbly legs. He still had a hand on her elbow all the way back to the ladder, seeing as she wasn't stable on her feet. Inko mercifully hadn't commented on the commotion she'd probably heard from below. Instead, she helped cover over the hatch and settle the girl down over the blanket on the floor. Ochaco looked slightly green in the face, now that there was more light up here. Inko placed an empty bowl nearby, a flask of watered herbs (seeing as how Ochaco kept a hand to her stomach) and had Izuku fetch a damp clothe to press against Ochaco's head.

They never guessed the reason to her sudden sickness would be this.

"You what?" both mother and son exclaimed.

Ochaco giggled tiredly on top of the blanket-covered floor. "I made myself float," she admitted, slightly proud of herself. Not long ago, she'd feared this power, now, it seemed like something she could be happy about. Something she could go 'Look, look what I can do!'

Izuku, sitting cross-legged on the floor, hummed at the new knowledge. "That's how you got up there. So you can float things and yourself, too."

Ochaco sat up and removed the wet cloth from her head. "Yeah, it was by accident when something down there scared me. But I know I can float now!"

"That's amazing, sweetie," Inko congratulated and, to Ochaco's surprise and delight, gave her a hug she hadn't expected. She couldn't help but laugh at how loving this woman was. Inko gave such motherly bear hugs.

"… Something down there… Oh! I just remembered!" Izuku piped up, startling the two ladies. "I think the baby animals are big enough to handle the trip now. One got out earlier on its own. I think I can deliver them now."

Inko blinked. "Now?"

…

Tightening his jaws on the stick, he pushed and prodded the end against the suspicious patch of long grass and thin ropes he could clearly see. He knew the snare was meant for animals smaller than him, but he wasn't stupid enough to get himself caught just to prove his theory. The bait: an impaled dead rabbit at the top of a stick like a flag. Insects buzzed around exposed flesh. The stick was against a tree and, from Katsuki's view; he could see a few wires here and there. Jabbing the stick he held between his teeth into the rabbit's thigh and giving the corpse a frustrated shove. In a blink of an eye–

Snap! – The stick in his jaws was slapped away. A loop of barb wire had magically appeared, tightly hugging the tree so hard there was an outline where weak bark had cracked from the force, creating a ring around the tree. That could've been his neck, or back, or muzzle. It was a good thing he wasn't stupid enough to simply reach for the easy meal put out for him.

Speaking of which, that rabbit corpse had flung somewhere… Ah. Not too far. He knew could've gone hunting. But why bother? No need to waste his energy when this meal was sitting nearby.

However, before he could pick it up, an orange critter had the nerve to swiftly run between his long legs, grab the rabbit from literally under his nose and run off. He hadn't even heard the damn thing. He knew he was getting messed with by a freaking fox when he caught a glimpse of the tail. It irked him, even more, to think this animal was probably watching him for some time, waiting for him to do the dirty work.

Katsuki didn't hold back that animalistic rumble in his throat. "Oh, you will regret that, bastard." Never mind using his smart human brain. Screw that. If that fox thought it could get away pretending to be a smarty, then it was about to face the devil himself.

The fox dove into bushes, zigzagging and changing directions as often as possible to spread the foxy scent around. The limp rabbit jiggling in its mouth collected leaves and twigs. From the sound of heavy panting and snapping branches, the scent trick hadn't done much when the giant wolf could clearly hear her.

The panicking she-fox did the mistake of looking back at the monster behind her – and she stupidly tripped on the dead rabbit's unlucky foot.

Wide jaws came down, engulfing her neck and chest, trapping her front leg in his mouth and pinning her body to the ground.

"Thought you could take my stuff, eh?" Katsuki held her there, enjoying his victory. She stayed frozen in place, eyes and mouth wide in horror, as if wanting to scream but nothing came out. Her back leg pushed at his chest in a pitiful attempt to fight back. He felt her rapid heartbeat in his mouth – heard her fast, short panting, felt how incredibly still she was trying to be with how hard he was pressing his teeth into her fur. His victory melted away. He was, at this point, holding a blade to an old woman who had out-smarted him seconds ago.

Pitiful.

She stayed frozen in place when he released her. Still keeping her weak eyes on him, she slowly turned, crawled, then crawled away faster before speeding off.

Katsuki left to look for something else.

No one got to have the rabbit.

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _-You remember this fic? Yeaaaaah, I had the second and half of the third chapter done two years ago and I just never got around to it. At this point, I just want to finish my incompleted works._  
 _-I don't feel healthy enough to look over it for improvements, but at the same time, I want to get this off my list of things I want to complete._


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

 _"–was a monster, I'm telling you!"_

 _"Can anyone find the doctor?"_

 _"It just wrecked the place and walked off like we were in the way. Didn't seem interested in crops or anythin'. Tossed folks around. Saw 'em flying. Even found a lad on my goddamn roof."_

Prince Shoto Todoroki wasn't expecting this kind of damage when he made it to the neighboring kingdom. His father had gotten a letter from the Yaoyorozu king asking for assistance. The king hadn't been specific about what animal had caused the damage; though, it seemed like most of the town called it a monster or a devil. It was wise not to include 'monster attack' in the letter, then.

Shoto had been sent to lead the group of helpers, along with supplies, extra food and medications. It was a snaky line of wagons and a few knights keeping up on their horses or inside the wagons. Some professional animal hunters came along as well. They'd arrived to parts of the town in shambles, people getting their limbs bandaged, a group trying to lift up parts of a broken-down building, air still smelling of smoke, and even the princess kneeling on the ground, pressing cloth to a person's head wound. She was, surprisingly, in armor – or half armor. Chunks of it were missing. The arm piece was gone as well as a few protective plates. She'd personally come to town to lend a hand after the bear turned out to be no bear at all.

Her arm – the exposed one – was badly bruised; purple and swollen. Was it broken? He hoped not. When she moved out of the doctor's way, Shoto saw the dark smears under her nose, all the way down her chin. Dried blood.

"I can't thank you enough," Momo said to him tiredly, the wavering in her voice so unlike her. She was not like how he remembered seeing her last time. It had been during meetings for treaties or reunions, and she was usually happy and polite and in the cleanest dresses. Here, she was dragging herself, bruised and one eye half-shut and sections of hair ripped out of the tie.

"We didn't do anything." Shoto dropped the comment. It was true. The damage was already done. The 'thing' hadn't touched cropland. The food offered felt like his father was saying: 'What do you expect me to do? Here's some cabbage.'

Momo picked a shield off the ground and limped to him, using the shield (the Kingdome's phoenix symbol barely seen through the dents and dirt) as a crutch. "No. Everyone was panicking before you came. They thought they were forgotten. We needed more doctors. For that, I thank you."

He wasn't sure why she was thanking him when it was his father's orders, but he didn't understand many things, so it was best to let it go.

He offered her his hand when she needed to step down a wooden platform.

"Thank you."

"Maybe you should sit down," he suggested.

"I can't. They need me…" She mumbled. Her limping halted, and her hand flew to cover her mouth and muffle her sobbing.

Sheets covered what looked like thirteen bodies on the ground; some child-sized.

Shoto wasn't good with emotions – with people. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes, like now, as Momo cried, he wished he could understand what to do, just a bit.

…

"Do you have everything?"

"Yeah, mom!"

"Don't let her touch anything poisonous, okay?"

 _"Poisonous?"_

"I won't, mom!"

Ochaco took one last look at the critter inside the basket. The fat dragon had the head of a snapping turtle. He was unable to use his back legs and they would drag behind him for some unknown reason. With his condition, Izuku didn't know if he could release him back into the forest. Closing the lid, she strapped the basket around her shoulders like a backpack. The dragon was calmer than the Tailypo siblings in Izuku's basket. With how much this family had helped her, she might as well try and help them, too!

"You come home before it gets dark, alright?" Inko held her son's face and kissed his head.

"We will, mom."

Inko readjusted Ochaco's hat and brushed her cheek. "Stay close together."

"Alright!" Ochaco nodded happily. "Oh, and if you ever find my bag – you know… the one I had before?"

Inko knew what bag she was talking about. "Your father's. I'll be sure to give it to you if I find it. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."

The creatures would be better off with someone who specialized with animals. They'd have to go through the woods to get to this animal sanctuary. Ochaco wasn't used to going under such thick trees. The branches tangled and held hands. Hardly any sunlight shone through. Noises circled all around: scratches and cracks and ticks and clicks. Ochaco was ready to jump into the basket to join the dragon.

"Are you okay?"

She almost walked into him. Well, into the basket on his back, anyway. She hadn't realized he'd slowed down. "Y-yeah! Fine! Great! This place is… is something, huh?"

He smiled and looked up at the trees in awe, oblivious to her fright. "Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it? That reminds me – I have to show you this! Not many get to see it."

She didn't like how he started hiking. Wait for me! She hoped the dragon wouldn't hate her for jiggling him as she sped up. It felt surreal, to run so wild. It was a mixture of danger and excitement – a confusing high of being somewhere forbidden. There were no buildings or people, just wilderness and the smell of grass and that one kid who, somehow, managed to be both familiar and have a shadow of an enigma at the same time. Or… maybe she and everyone else had that side in them? That lingering ghost that only a few people could tame and decipher.

A chipmunk looked down at them from the trees as they passed by, scooting to the other side of the branch to glance.

Izuku suddenly stopped when he reached the edge of a slope. The second he turned around to check on Ocheco, however, he received a body slam and instinctively grabbed hold of an arm as he fell back. At first, they yelped, rolling their way down the hill. That slowly turned into laughter as soon as they realized they weren't in real danger.

She landed on him and Izuku let out an 'Omphhh!' with Ochaco still giggling on top. He was on his side, the basket on his back giving him a backache with how many times it had arched his spine. She was on top of him, very close, and again, he had no idea what to do. Where was the rulebook for this kind of scenario? What rulebook would be appropriate? There were too many books to choose from…

She rolled off, panting and, like him, blushing. She couldn't hold back an awkward giggle – light and continues. Whatever was going through her mind, it wasn't fear or anger or any other emotion that would indicate displeasure. Someone would've intervened if they'd been in the village. Someone would've been outraged for allowing a girl and a boy of this age to venture on their own without supervision. Someone would've claimed things were happening and words would spread.

But no one could here.

And no one was in charge of telling her what was appropriate and what was not. There was no law, no boundaries.

It was a choice between comfortable confinement and dangerous freedom.

The dragon – the one which was supposed to be in her back basket – slid down the grassy hill, his back legs thin, stiff and useless. He must've tumbled out.

"I'm sorry! Here, I'll put you back." Ochaco picked him up and carefully placed him back in where he felt safer.

Izuku checked his own basket and was relieved to find the clasp still tight in its place and hear the agitated creatures grumble inside. "Sorry..."

"That was my fault," Ochaco told him, getting up.

"I stopped first. And I shouldn't have started running," he admitted meekly.

"You were just excited to show me something."

That instantly reminded him of their path. "Oh! Right! It shouldn't be far."

They eventually came to a watery stream; longer plants growing on the sloped edges. The stream went into a dark tunnel with human-sized leaves hanging from the sides of the entrance like guards protecting a gateway. Izuku moved the leaves and vines aside and pulled something out – something wooden and tall: a thin canoe.

She'd never been on one before, but had heard of boats from her father. A tiny boat to travel short distances. "Where'd you get it?" she asked in awe. Up close, it smelled like dirt and moss.

"Found it." He panted and slid it into the water. "I found it. It had a hole but I filled it in. It's safe. I ride it sometimes." He proved it by stepping on with one foot, keeping his other foot still on the grass to keep the canoe from running away.

"Are we going in there?" She didn't feel all too confident going into a tunnel on that thing.

"Yeah. Don't worry, it's short! Just looks dark because of the turn. And water's not deep."

It didn't feel safe at all. The canoe sunk a little when she actually got on, and it looked even smaller because of how her dress splayed like a fat flower when she sat. She had to trust Izuku knew what he was doing. If he'd done this before and nothing bad had happened, surely it was safe.

The canoe moved slower than she'd expected. Izuku had to use a stick to push against the ground to get them to move forward and into the tunnel, and sometimes against the tunnel walls to steer. Water lapped underneath and the sounds of droplets falling from the ceiling and plopping into ink-dark water were playful to the ears. It was moist in the tunnel, and the closer they got to the turn, the thicker the air became, like breathing water into lunges. She noticed a blue shimmer reflecting onto the walls as they got closer. Izuku used the stick to push against the wall to turn – the canoe still bumping into the sides – and Ochaco got to see the source of the light: shiny crystals growing from the ceiling like mushrooms. Tiny black salamanders with glow-in-the-dark panther markings were in between nooks and crannies, biting with toothless mouths at slimy gelatin.

She knew those crystals grew in wet caves. However, she never imagined it'd look something like this.

"Are those…?"

"Yeah…" His voice echoed even when he whispered. "Very pretty, huh? Hard to think this is where they come from. I guess… they're kinda like trees? We use them a lot, but then, we get so busy using them for medicine, and we forget what they used to be. It's silly, I know. I'm not good with words, or most things, but… I can show you what I like around here. I don't know if you'll like that, but if you want to, I can!"

She remembered what she'd seen in his notebook. He had seen rare things, and was willing to show her.

As the canoe made another turn, getting closer to the exit, she decided. "I'd like that."

…

The white horse galloped across the uneven dirt path, kicking dust behind. He'd lost track of time while riding home. He was sure he'd have a sore back from being upright on a moving horse for so long. The flag of the Endeavor Dragon flapped on the tops of poles. City people greeted him as he passed by. Hooves clapped as they had to run on hard cobblestone. Shoto couldn't rest yet. He knew he wouldn't be able to.

"Your Highness!" Tenya, the younger of the two Iidas, greeted. "I hope your journey went well." He was in similar armor to what his older sibling wore.

"My father had you wait for me?" Shoto handed him the horse's ropes.

"I have been order to inform you the King is discussing some matters at the moment and wishes to not be disturbed." Tenya talked loud and clear and held himself straight with noble respect.

"He's in a meeting?" Shoto guessed.

"That's correct, your Highness."

The witch problem; it had to be it. "Thank you." With that, he walked up the castle stairs. Inside, after a long walk and another staircase, the path split into opposite directions, each staircase going up and curving. A large portrait of the king, the Queen and the children hung in the central wall. It always mocked him, there, on the wall for all to see.

Going up and intentionally ignoring Tenya's message, Shoto knocked on the forbidden door. He heard voices, but no reply to him. He knew it meant he wasn't to enter, but he'd disobeyed his father before. He knocked again, and again without waiting to hear the other side.

"Get in here," his father grumbled in annoyance.

It was strangely satisfying to know he could worsen the man's bad day by simple actions.

Whatever conversation his father was having, it seemed to have reached a verdict. The two men, Shota Aizawa and Tensei Iida stood to take their leave. Enji sat at the end of the table, a trophy shaped cup in front of him as well as candles and an open map that usually sat at this table.

Shoto heard the heavy door close behind him.

"What part of 'don't interrupt me' didn't you understand?" the man warned, his eyes not leaving the leather bag in his hand.

"Sounded like you were finishing off," Shoto commented nonchalantly.

Enji exhaled like a tired bull. "Out with it."

"They had a number of casualties. They said it was a monster," he reported.

Enji huffed. "A monster," he mocked and carelessly dropped the bag on the table. "The ships should be here soon. I'll have you escort the next cargo batch after I get things done."

He was supposed to leave now, he knew, but his feet remained planted. "People are saying you still have the Urarakas." He knew he shouldn't touch this topic; but the sooner he got answers the better. Without the actual witch, his father would have to release the parents. Can't pass judgment on criminals with a nonexistent crime.

"Let them talk."Enji hauled himself up. His cape was splayed over his chair.

Was he planning to keep the Uraraks confined? Or… had he found a lead on their daughter? Of the two possibilities, he couldn't decide which was more unjust. "You're still putting the blame on others?"

"Watch your mouth, boy."

"This won't help mother, you know that."

"Enough." Enji's voice roared and echoed through the large room. The trophy cup was knocked over and wine spilled over the map, saturating parts of the Kingdome and going down the hilly forest. "Your mother was bewitched. One would think you'd be the first to demand justice for her."

Justice for her? Shoto resisted yelling. You drove her mad. Witches or monsters didn't compare to demons inside that man. It was him who silenced her; him who whacked her upside the head; him who shouted and cursed and belittled and stood menacingly over anyone and everyone that threatened his authority, his masculinity, his power; him who drove her into pulling at her hair, as if that would get his voice out of her head, drove her into splitting, throwing a kettle in one moment, and pressing ice chunks to her son's burned face in the next while sobbing apologies.

"Leave," Enji ordered.

This time, he did leave.

Going up the spiral stairs, he made his way to the door which not many liked to open. It always had that thick, suffocating gloom, so toxic it leaked from beneath the door. The bedroom was lit by a slit from the curtains. The fancy purple drapery over the bed couldn't hide the sickly woman with sunken eyes. She had her hands tied down beside her head, one on each side, held down by ropes holding the sides, keeping her prisoner in her own bed. Never has a living being looked so dead. The flowers on the nightstand were nothing but an insult.

Shoto was no fool. No witch or curse or voodoo could do this to his dear mother. This was the doing of a deranged demon blinded by power and desire. He'd been there to see and hear the wails, after his father trained him to the bone to one day win the tournaments. The Todoroki child had a reputation to build, and a man to replace. He'd been there and failed to stop his mother from getting dragged by the hair.

He'd been there to see the real monster that hid inside every human.

…

Koda's farm was… interesting, to say the least. Ochaco hadn't expected so many farm animals mixed with tamed woodland creatures. Sheep and longhaired goats littered the place, but there was a red stag that had an authoritative aura. Miniature fanged deer followed them all the way to the house, bumping their noses against their shoes and pants and sprinting off.

Who – or what – opened the door did not look human.

"Oh, Izuku! It's so good to see you, dear." the massive, rock looking woman greeted happily. Her nose was a snout. Her head a mountain. She was tall and wide and did not match the flower-patterned dress. "And who's this? A friend of yours?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ochaco smiled meekly.

The woman looked delighted when Izuku took off the basket and sat it down. "Oh, those must be the poor little darlings! My boy will adore them. Koji! Koji, sweetie!" The monstrous-looking woman had an overall welcoming temperament, something Ochaco hadn't expected from that hard skin and jagged head.

The woman's son was an almost copy of his mother. He didn't speak, but respectfully nodded to them and went to inspect the baskets, handling the creatures with utmost care.

"They'll be just fine here. We can't thank you enough." The woman already had a Tailypo on her shoulder and stroked the sleeping dragon in her arms tenderly.

"We'll be going now. It was nice seeing you." Izuku said kindly.

"Already?"

"Mom wants us back early."

"You let Inko know you all can visit anytime, alright."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Koji and his mother waved them goodbye. He was unsure how to act around nice people. He never had to worry about his appearance in front of animals. People were usually judgmental. It was surprising to have nice people liking him – it still caught him off guard.

The flapping of wings whistled in the sky. His friend, the owl, circled the clouds urgently. He'd come with news – bad news.

…

The hike back was easier with no baskets. Going on this… trip… wasn't as scary as she'd thought it'd be. Izuku told her how that family had always been nice to them. Koji had taught him a few things about animals and how to handle them if he were to get into a situation with them. Animals weren't dangerous if he knew what he was doing.

Past trees, they weren't ready to see a number of horses, guards, and a wooden prison wagon next to the cottage.

Shota and Tensei were back, and they had brought reinforcements.

A bloodhound was tied up to the prison on wheels. It had its big nose up, sniffing the air. With barks of alarm, it directed its head where the smell was coming from – where she and Izuku stood. Its rope snapped straight.

Izuku and Ochaco remembered they were partially visible, but attempting to back into greenery only caused more noise.

"Nice of you to join."

They both froze upon hearing Shota's impatient welcome. The man had been going back and forth and looked like he wanted to sleep for a century to make up for it. "You can bring her over. There's no point hiding her," he said tiredly.

The dog kept barking.

Izuku slowly reached for his sword.

Tensei approached him, hands-free of any weapons, but still covered in shimmering armor. "Izuku Midoriya, please understand the situation."

Izuku glared and held his ground, still gripping his sword. Don't come closer.

"Now, now. There's no need, please," Tensei begged, got closer and leaned on his knees to be eye level with him. "You're a brave boy. You have good intentions."

His kind smile didn't ease Izuku's guard. The younger boy had eyes of a distressed carnivore, scared but armed and ready to claw.

Tensei placed a hand to his own chest. "Please understand, as protectors, we serve the people, and we'll look into what can be done so justice is served–" He hadn't finished, but his words had triggered the wrong nerve in the boy. Izuku stepped back – pushing the girl back in the process – and drew his sword. "In a peaceful manner!" Tensei quickly added, holding up his hands. "We need her statement. That is all."

Izuku looked furious. "I trusted you…" The tip of his sword trembled as he gripped the handle in a painful hold.

"And you still can."

"How can I…?" Fat, angry tears spilled out his eyes. "You won't bring her back." Back here. "I know you won't… How can I?"

"Izuku, I know it's scary right now. Please."

The barking dog in the background wasn't helping the situation.

The system worked against them. "Please, leave us alone, sir," Izuku begged in a hopeless effort at piece.

The younger Iida, who had come along on this trip, stepped forward and held out his own sword. "Brother, he's baring his sword at you. How can you tolerate? And you–" Tenya motioned at Izuku. "Don't be so stubborn! Show some respect for authority."

"Easy, Tenya," Tensei said quickly and lowered his brother's arm. "They're not from the city."

The cottage door flew open and Inko came running out in a hurry. "Stop!" She sobbed and tripped on her dress, still reaching out to halt the mess from happening before her eyes. "Please, stop! They're just children!" She grabbed Shota's arm and sunk to the ground, begging.

With all the commotion going on, Ochaco read the message in the atmosphere. Everyone was looking back at Inko. Izuku briefly made eye contact with her. That confirmed it: run.

Could she? Her mind said stay, her body said go. The two commands clashed; in the end, she managed a useless step back.

Tenya was the first to react. "Hey!" His path was stopped by Izuku who raised his sword back to strike.

Anticipating an attack, Tenya used his own sword to guard, however, the other boy slashed at the ground instead, and a punch of dirt came slapping the young knight in the face, temporarily blinding him

"Go! Please!" Izuku begged.

This time, Ochaco reluctantly turned away, back into the forest.

The barking hound went zooming by with its rope still around its neck and the end flying behind, presumably running after the girl. Either a guard had released it or it had gotten loose. Three other guards followed into the woods as well, crushing grass with heavy boots.

Still blinking and caught off guard, Tenya's sword was almost knocked out of his hand if his brother hadn't intervened and blocked Izuku with his own sword. This tiny rural boy had almost made him drop his sword.

"Izuku, none of that, now!" Tensei tried to warn. His gentle approach hadn't worked. However; it was hard to be forceful with Inko's son. He'd known the boy, when Tensie was knight training and Izuku was too young to remember anything. Their swords crossed, pressing against each other. He pushed the smaller boy back and felt him struggle to hold his sword upright.

"Izuku!" The mother called. Upon seeing the swords close to her son's face, Inko released Shota and staggered, reaching for her boy from afar. "Izuku, runaway!"

A guard stepped in front of Inko to read to her a warning letter aloud; something about not cooperating with authority and withholding information.

Izuku didn't like that.

"Leave us alone!"

Wind picked up speed, circling around him. Dry leaves rolled and flew. Tensie's strength weakened the second he caught a glimpse of the ghostly green glow in the boy's eyes. He heard a buzz – and by gods, saw – a thin line of lightening zip just between him and the young man. The thing had even crossed their swords like transparent eels. In a blink of an eye, he had seen an image of the boy with blood-red tiger stripes around the face. Had he hallucinated that? Tenya instinctively backed away in fright of the unknown.

A ghostly body loomed over the boy's smaller one; see-through, humanoid. A large man. The air turned hot like a fireplace after burning for hours. A spark, and the boy's sword caught on fire. If witchcraft were visible to mortal eyes, it would look like this. The two knights backed away, squinting through the fire's light. It was hard to remember this dangerous weapon aimed at them was being held by a small boy; not with the flaming sword, not with the ghostly apparition of a large man that slowly evaporated; not with the unnatural wind swirling around the boy, fixated on one spot, playing with the strings of crackling amber.

Fire out of nothing

A ghost

The crackling lightning over limbs

The bright red lines, glowing, hard on the eyes

And a suspected runaway witch

The reality of the danger frightened all the years of training out of the knights. "What in the world…" Tensei whispered in disbelief.

A whistle, and a long leather whip snapped round the boy's wrists, jostling the sword of fire. Izuku knew that weapon. Only one man was as skilled with the leather snake.

Shota had the whip handle in one hand and the looped extra leather in the other. He had intervened, sensing the escalation of the situation. "Knights, move away," he ordered, his expression now strained.

"No! Stop!" Inko screamed, managing to sidestep the stunned guard and grabbing Shota by the elbow. "They're just kids. They never hurt anyone."

Leave us alone. That was all. That was all Izuku wanted. Yes, it was lonely out here; but animals and trees and earth never demanded conformity from them. Wolves never bit for no reason. Birds never water-dove for no reason. Worms never surfaced out of post-rain dirt for no reason. People, however, threw rocks for no reason. People burned people for no reason. People hated for no reason.

The hot pain in his bones died as soon as they all heard the monstrous growl vibrate out of the woods behind him. A familiar growl. A wolfish growl.

He panicked. She'd run back there.

"Ms. Uraraka!"

…

Branches rushed by, leaves slapping her, scratching her, uneven dirt and elevated roots tripped her. She heard the dog. She heard the marching guards in armor.

Coward. She was a coward. How could she run and leave her friend and mother behind? She left her parents, and now, she left her second family. No more running. They'd catch her. The King would have her bent for the guillotine. But why live when she had no family to love? No one to love her for who she was.

No more running.

Dress ripped, skin scratched. The sound of a panting dog snapping behind her. She twirled just in time to see the droopy-eared, droopy-eyed, droopy-jawed hound with its mouth open. The inside of its mouth: pink and glistening and frothy. She was a short child; it was a tall dog, high enough it bit her baggy sleeve when she put her arm up protectively. It was a short tug of war and her sleeve ripped. The disappearance of the dog's weight had her staggering back; her sleeve in ribbons. Fabric strips hung out of the dog's jaws.

No more pretending.

She smacked the dog on the shoulder. The floppy ears lifted first, then tail, then loose jowls. It yelped as soon as the paws lifted and the hound span as it wriggled to find balance.

It was the first thing the two guards saw as soon as they caught up. A dog flying was a mindboggling sight. One remembered to put up his lance, which reminded the other to do the same. Men, armed in iron, customized with lances, keeping their distance from her, a little girl. One lance was quivering in shivering hands.

The power of ignorance. The power of fear.

No more running.

She held her ground, palms ready to slap at lances. The guards let out a pathetic sound, an almost-whimper. Their helmets covered their faces. The one slit for eyes was pitch black. But their heads tilted up slightly.

They looked at something above. Behind her.

Hot air puffed at the back of her neck. The smell of wet fur and wild animal reached her. A rumble just behind her. She didn't want to, but she quickly turned and was face to muzzle with the familiar wolf. Up close, it looked much bigger, fluffier, teeth visible. She'd seen angry dogs before, back in the village. Vocal ones that threw their heads back when barking, lifting their lips to show off fat teeth and bubbly spit. She always relayed on adults to chase away angry dogs.

No adult would chase away this dog.

Red eyes glared.

Her focus lost, the hound fell to the ground and it quickly scurried away with its tail between its legs, deciding the witch with magical powers was not worth its life.

…

The first thing they saw was the sniffer hound, barking but with a higher pitch, scared shitless. It brushed past Izuku's leg, the two guards weren't as careful, shouldering him from either side in an attempt to escape the forest. One dropped a lance and the other dropped himself.

By now, Izuku's sword had shrunk and sizzled away, leaving an orange hot sword smoking. The crunching of wood indicated something large. Izuku took slow steps back, his sword half raised, hindered by the whip clasping his wrists together.

A disheveled Ochaco came running out with leaves in her hair, panting.

What slowly marched through the dark woods, and out into the light, was the large wolf baring its teeth at them. Same red eyes. Same intelligent glare.

The smaller hound tried a pathetic act of bravery, barking and retreating; barking and retreating, never actually getting closer. The wolf's eye twitched in annoyance. He lowered his head to be eye-level with the pesky dog and released one big, growl-sounding bark that shook ribcages. The hound sank to the dirt and side crawled away, dragging itself beneath the prison wagon.

The whip around Izuku's wrists released.

"Step back," Shota ordered to all of them with surprising will strength. Not afraid, but not calm. "All of you. Back."

"My lord, that is the biggest wolf I've ever seen," Tensei said. It was as if the mission to take the witch was temporarily halted for this more dangerous moment.

His younger brother ordered, "Please, Mrs. Midoriya, everyone, go inside for your safety." For a moment, Izuku wanted to believe the knights had been truthful about no one being harmed. For a moment. Perhaps they never thought the King would go as far as harm. Perhaps the rest of the council was involved. But they were not the King. He had final say.

"Please, allow me to escort you inside," Tenya pleaded with them, taking slow steps to the side while still facing the animal.

To their surprise, the wolf's fur bristled and, in one long leap, he lept in between the family and the knights, the muzzle pointed at the men who'd come from bellow the hill. Maybe Izuku was reading too much into it. Maybe the beast really was paying it forward. Or maybe it simply did not like men who smelled like the village, considering the state the wolf had been found before, looking almost as if someone had poisoned him.

It didn't make them look any less witchy, with a wolf as a guard.

Every move the men made, the wolf eyed, judged, growled lowly, the back fur sticking up.

It wasn't until– "Katsuki," Shota said suddenly.

Recognition clicked in Izuku's mind. He didn't understand. The name had come out randomly. Had Shota meant to call him but misnamed? Judging by the knights' faces, they were just as confused, briefly glancing at Shota, their swords still pointing. But then, the growling had stopped. He couldn't see the animal's face, only saw the tail droop.

"Swords down," Shota said.

"Sir?" Tensei observed Shota collect loops of his whip to tuck back. He was series. "Alright, sir," he said reluctantly and nodded at his younger brother to do the same. Still unsure, still obedient, they sheathed their swords.

"Katsuki, Kirishima's boy told what happened," Shota explained, his whip now a collection of looped leather hanging from his belt.

The fur on the wolf flattened ever so slowly.

Izuku's brain finally caught up. Kacchan, missing. Shota asking for a wolf pelt. A wolf with a familiar aura.

Kacchan. Wolf pelt.

"…Kacchan?" It slipped out of his mouth without him trying to. He felt his mother glance at him, then back at either the wolf or Shota.

The wolf's ear twitched. His head lowered and Izuku could only see his big shoulders. A response. He had responded. It wasn't an 'I heard a sound' response, but an 'I recognize that' one. The wolf turned his massive head slightly and Izuku saw the side of his face; a half-lidded intelligent eye, a mouth that almost looked like it was set in a frown, a look of bitter acceptance.

"So you are Katsuki," Shota confirmed. He sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose, possibly thinking how he'd explain this to the wolf-hunting mother.

"Dear god," Tenya said in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

It was… more complicated than ever.

…

Inko never – never in her life – thought she'd have so many guests over for tea in her small cottage. Three men, the girl, and now, a giant grumpy wolf splayed out on the floor. It was cramped. It smelled of fur and earth. The guards were outside with their helmets off, one on the bench with a cup of tea, the other by the horses, calming the hound with head and neck rubs.

If she hadn't lived up this hill, she wouldn't have believed what she was told. But she did live uphill, had seen the strange and the dangerous. Ochaco's fear of the wolf had been replaced by curiosity, peering at his face every time he grumbled and moved away from her. She knew him by name. He and she were from the village, after all; just not close enough to know each other personally, but close enough to hear of the other.

These kids. A bastard with a mother of bad reputation and a flaming sword, a witch girl, and a boy trapped in a wolf's body.

"I must say, this is quite the predicament," Tenya said. "I do apologize for my brutish approach. Now that I can formulate my judgment more calmly, I can say I should not have been aggressive to you. For that, I am sorry."

Izuku held his hands in front of him in an attempt to stop the knight from blaming himself any more. "Hey, it's okay. I pulled out my sword, first."

Katsuki huffed. Pathetic.

"Don't worry too much, Tenya," said Tensei, putting a hand on the younger brother's shoulder. "From what the council had said, we assumed we'd need to use force. And you, Miss," he addressed Ochaco, who was on her knees with Izuku, messing with the Katsuki's fur. She looked up. "Miss, I can see holes in the King's description of you. While I'm usually on the side of the law, now that I see you, it's hard for me to think you could do purposeful harm."

She focused on how the wolf's neck fur felt between her fingers. For once, he wasn't growling. She gave a nod of acceptance. "Yeah. I get it. It's okay. You're doing your job. How are my parents?"

"Unharmed, I can promise you," said Tensei.

"What's going to happen to them? My parents."

For a while, there was no answer. Shota rubbed the nape of his neck, turning his head to the side and letting his muscles and time stretch. Tenya tried to fill in the hole with an answer even he didn't believe in. "I'm sure the King will release them if he does not find evidence of a crime."

Since when had people obeyed the law? They took matters into their own hands.

Ochaco risked a question. "What'll happen if I turn myself in?" she asked solemnly. Izuku and Inko looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Izuku reached a hand out and held her arm in a soft hold that said 'please, don't.' A red eye stared at her in silence. Katsuki was listening intensely, pretending all this didn't bother him.

Would the whole Uraraka family face punishment over the sin of magic, no matter if the actual witch was in custody?

"Don't be stupid," Shota said, arms on the table. "Your parents sent you out. Don't undo everything." The same person who had been sent out to get her was now on her side. Perhaps, the wolf and the witch and the family up the hill were not of a connected kidnapping crime as speculated. Connected, yes, but not on purpose.

"Sir, Mr. Aizawa," said the boy with green hair darker than the mother. "The wolf pelt…" He looked down guiltily and brushed the wolf's furry shoulder. Katsuki growled in protest but didn't make an effort to get up. "Is that why you really came? For the wolf pelt?"

"Problem child, did it or did it not have a mark?"

"It looked normal to me. I didn't notice anything weird about it. At least… I didn't think I needed to look for anything weird. What does it mean?"

Shota's suspicions were confirmed. "So you're not aware you could've handed over a cursed pelt."

Izuku finally looked up, guilt pooling in those wide eyes too big for his face. "I didn't. No." His fist tightened around a patch of fur in his palm. "Kacchan, I'm really sorry."

Judging by Kacchan's snarl, he wasn't happy. Even more proof, he smacked him in the face with his thick tail.

"Ow! Okay. Yeah. I deserved that."

Shota tried an earlier question again, "Do you understand, now? Why we need to know who gave you the pelt."

The son and the mother glanced at each other. The woman decided. "Yes. A tall man and a small woman. He said to call him Gentle. They took some of the expensive tea leaves we had and some clothes from town."

Gentle, the prankster, and most his unnamed sidekick.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Shota said.

"This'll be quite the story to explain to the mother," Tenya said.

Katsuki huffed through his nose and plopped his massive head over his crossed paws. The thump sounded too loud to be with intent.

Shota placed his cup of tea down and sighed after thinking over complex possibilities. "All of you stay here, understood?"

"What will you do?" Inko asked worriedly.

"I'll inform the council the Uraraka daughter was not found. I'll see what I can do for her parents. It'll be drastic getting the Urarakas out of confinement so don't do anything stupid," Shota said.

Ochaco could hardly believe it. "You mean–?"

"I'm not making any promises," Shota said. "Sneaking them out won't be easy. If the council starts searching, the first place they'll search is here. Mrs. Midoriya," he addressed Inko who immediately perked up nervously. "I assume you know the forest better. Is there a safe place to hide the Urarakas?"

"Oh, well…" She turned to her son sitting on the floor by the wolf and the girl. "Izuku, honey?" Her son was the adventurer. The risk-taker.

He thought about it, biting the nail of his thumb. "Let's see… there's an empty house in the forest. It's rundown but… " Beggars couldn't be choosers.

Shota decided. "It'll do."

…

The disturbance of guards suddenly talking outside in a defensive manner silenced those within the home. The family looked panicked, standing up in an instant. The wolf stood crouched with the fur on his back bristling.

Shota gestured to the knights with his hand: follow me. No talking. Just gestures. The family shuffled away from the viewpoint of the door. Izuku had to pull a reluctant Katsuki over, begging him to be silent, because the growling was not helping.

What Shota hadn't expected to see was a monstrous-looking boy panting and leaning on his knees. Behind him, a large buck with a saddle strapped to the back and an owl perched on an antler.

"What is it?" one guard asked frantically.

"Where'd it come from?" asked the other.

Still panting, the boy waved his hands in front of him, as if to say: please, I mean no harm. He wasn't from downhill. Shota would know. The village would know. That look was worthy of talk. It would be impossible to hide that. The boy made more frantic hand gestures; pointing, waving, pointing, stuttering words that weren't words.

Shota understood nothing. Sighing, he asked the younger knight to inform the family of what – or who – was outside. Turned out, the Midoriya son was well acquainted with him. Sure to say, Shota was slightly amused. The knights, very confused. The family, more surprised than anything.

"Koji?" Inko asked from where she stood by the doorway. "Honey, what happened?" Knowing the boy, there had to be an important reason why he came to them in a hurry. Katsuki did not show himself, listening with his ears by the wall, ears up and tilted.

Koji didn't talk much. Hardly ever did. So when he opened his mouth, and actual words spilled out, they knew it had to be important. "There's trouble. It's on its way. We have to warn them!" he warned with the voice of the scared boy he really was. He talked and breathed and talked, waving his shivery big hands around like he was trying to visualize his jumbled thoughts.

Izuku sympathetically grabbed his hands with his. "Koji? What kind of trouble, Koji? Warn who?"

Shota observed patiently. Inko grabbed at the front of her clothes, at her chest, in worry.

Having gotten noticed seemed to have calmed the forest boy; though, not by much. "There's something bad coming! Honey – Honeysuckle saw it." Honeysuckle, his owl friend. "It's headed for the houses!"

Something bad. Not much of a description. Just a something. A fire? A swarm of something? An attack? Shota didn't know what to think.

"Do you know what it is, Koji?" Izuku asked, his anxiety leaking out his voice.

"I'm not sure. It's – It's bad. It's been scaring the animals. The animals don't know what it is. It breaks trees. It doesn't eat," he said quickly. "It's close. We have to warn everyone!"

Izuku had a look on his face; his eyes that said he was searching through the maps of his mind. He let go of the other boy's hands.

"What is it, problem child?" Shota demanded to know.

"Aizawa, sir?" Izuku's voice wavered. "I think… I think everyone needs to evacuate."

…

Tsuyu had her dress lifted and wrapped around her waist. Her long hair was also tied up so as to not fall into the water. Her bare legs sloshed through the rice field water. Green grass and golden grain grow up and sloped at the top. Her sunhat would retire as the sun slowly dipped. The water became colder. Her younger siblings helped out sometimes, such as today, when they planted seedlings by hand and no tools were required. They splashed more when they ran through the mud-brown growing paddy. Her sister got distracted easily by things which were new to her, like bugs that floated on the water's top, and the occasional frog to catch and admire.

The sound of a ruckus prompted Tsuyu to stop bending over and straighten up. from afar, on the dirt paths that people took, she saw a number of villagers heading in the same direction in a hurry. The field workers nearer to land sloshed out of the water, put aside their straw dishes and hiked up the grassy earth to possibly investigate what the commotion was about.

Something within her told her to collect her siblings and warn her mom and dad. That inner voice was on to something, because the sounds of people yelling and dogs barking mad were louder than usual, more alarmed and frantic. Perhaps it was nothing as the people tended to exaggerate over things unknown to them. Perhaps it was something worth worry. Nevertheless, it was best she escort her siblings away.

A roar sounded, like a disgruntled bear, but not bear enough. The crowd's chatter turned into screaming, and those that ran to the left were now running right.

…

Ochaco's stress levels were at a new height. It went from witchy rumors, to her mom's home being vandalized, to death threats, to being sent away, to being terrorized by a giant wolf, to finding out said wolf had been that kid people talked about, to having the council humbly visit and pull out their swords; now, a warning, followed by a thin stream of smoke coming from downhill.

Her parents were down there. People were down there. People and kids and the old and the sick and kids she grew up with. The village was visible from up here, a map of wooden homes and dirt paths and tiny flags. People were ants, moved like ants, scattered and spread out, running from that one big splotch that scarred horses and dogs and threw carts splintered.

That thing was a monster, no black bear like her mind tried to tell her. The way it walked, the way it tossed its arms around, the sound of that roar. Not an animal. Not a human.

The knights and Shota mounted their horses in a hurry. "None of you go anywhere," he ordered. It looked like Izuku wanted to protest, but before he could say anything, ropes cracked and the horses' hooves clapped the dirt path.

On his horse, Tenya lingered last. "We will handle it. Please, be safe." He ordered his own horse to gallop downhill, leaving a trail of dust behind.

There was a fire down there. There was a monster down there. How bad was it really? They watched from uphill, from safety. The wolf stood tall behind Izuku and her. He was so tall his head was over their heads, casting a shadow. His breathing was heard clearly thanks to his deep chest and massive size.

He suddenly leaped over their heads like an antelope. She and Izuku instinctively covered their heads. Loose dirt rained over them. His landing had a heavy thud to it.

"Kacchan?" Izuku gasped, confused.

The wolf was running.

"Katsuki, honey, it's dangerous!" Inko yelled for him to come back.

He continued trotting, black paw pads visible with every kick. Ochaco knew him by word of mouth. Villagers talked. They spread words faster than royal announcers. The Bakugo kid who body-slammed kids in tournaments and broke their wooden swords. Mitsuki's 'spawn'. The boy was praised for his iron will but his mother was a madwoman for having the same will she'd passed down to her boy. A hot-headed boy. Now, a hot-headed wolf.

The snaky line of smoke was thicker; more black than gray. They could no longer see the monster. It had gone deeper into the village, behind homes and probably in-between people. This was bad.

Beside her, she heard the SHIIINK of a blade being pulled out of its case. Izuku inspected his sword before shoving it back in the case.

"Izuku?" Inko said anxiously.

"They need help!" Izuku said back, taking quick steps forward and stopping to talk to her one more time. "I'll be back – I promise!"

He was just a boy. He was about Ochaco's age, and yet, he was willingly going down there. Did he not value his life? He wasn't raised a villager; why did he care?

"Honey no!" Inko begged, reaching out to him and grabbing his hands in hers. "Leave it to the adults, sweetie. Please." From her trembling voice, Ochaco thought the woman was close to tears.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "They need help, mom. AllMight would've done it. I have to do it."

Inko looked like she desperately wanted to say something to him, to keep him here, to have him with her and not put himself in harm's way. At the same time, Izuku had a shimmer of confidence in his eyes; the shimmer that said nothing could sway him, that this was his purpose – that he wouldn't live with himself if he couldn't do what he was meant to do.

"Izuku…"

"I'll try to be careful," he said to her, quickly giving her a kiss on the head before he released her chubby hands and began running down the hill.

Ochaco saw him. He was her age. He was, like her, unwanted; and yet, he had the bravery to force himself into other people's business. He'd let her into his life. She saw him stand up to the council for her.

And now, she saw the potential in him to grow and be a savior. He was implementing AllMight's teachings to heart. Everything about him said he'd do everything within him to fulfill whatever came to his mind.

What was she doing? Standing and watching again when her parents were doing there in that mess.

Time to stop running away. Time to run forward with him.

She trotted downhill. She heard Inko yell for her.

"I'll keep him safe - don't worry! We'll be back!" Ochaco yelled and never looked back. With the monster in the village, people would be panicking. Panicking people made stupid decisions on a whim. Panicking people weren't logical. She knew how bad they could turn on each other; how quickly one would push a child out of their way to save themself.

Her dress flapped like a flag with the wind as she ran downhill. A large deer materialized by her right, hopping with grace despite having a rider on its back.

On the rocking saddle, Koji leaned to the side and offered his large hand to her, keeping his other hand on the buck's neck. The message was clear. She accepted his offer; though catching the moving hand was difficult, managing to finally grasp it on the third try. She sat behind him.

"Hopper, can you get my friend, too?" Koji asked his deer.

Ochaco couldn't understand animals, but with the deer's sudden increase in speed, she assumed that was a 'yes' from the deer. He only slowed down when Izuku's running form was visible.

Still running, Izuku looked up and almost tripped over his own feet once noticing the large animal with enormous antlers.

It was her turn to reach out to him. "Come on!" she called to him through the rushing wind.

He looked at her hand and, without question, gratefully took it. She floated him and held his hand, just long enough until she could maneuver him behind her and over the deer's back. Ochaco waited for him to wrap his arms around her waist after he figured out why he was flying. She released him, and he tightened his hold on her, hugging her from behind. Hopper was an abnormally large buck. His strength came to their advantage. Three passengers didn't hinder him and he incredibly caught up to Katsuki. The wolf was still in front, trotting full speed, his tail flicking and shoulders waving in rivers of fur. He glanced back for a brief second, acknowledging them.

…

In the trader's center, where people used to gather to exchange apples and baskets, the store stands were abandoned by their owners. Families were the first to gather what and who they could and run the other way. The beast stood and sniffed the air like a dog picking up the scent of sausages. It stood like a bear would on two legs, slightly hunched, its arms limp as if they were too heavy to lift. Its beak opened and large human teeth were visible, each one the size of a fist. Its skin, eggplant-purple and – after a guard tried to lance it – proved to be thick.

The circle of defenders, guards, swordsmen and priests stood at a safe distance. Every move that beast made had them flinching, expecting anything, everything. The unknown was unpredictable. It would stand still for minutes like a sleep-walker, then suddenly decide to pick up a cart and hurl it at a building, cracking it and sending wood chips over the heads of whoever stood close enough. A few defenders and tournament champions backed away even farther, unwilling to take on anything bigger than a tiny dragon, unprepared to have their strength proven.

It eyed the particular group holding torches and looked to almost be grinning. On oversized human feet, it kicked the dirt behind it and purpled itself forward, charging with its head leading the way like an arrow. For a large beast, it was fast. The torch-bearers screamed and parted out of the way, unfortunately, letting the beast pass farther into the land of civilization.

Those in their homes watched from open windows, some asking their family 'what is that?' and some questioning who would get it out before it did more damage. It kept running forward until it rammed its shoulder into a house, caving the wall in.

The group of defenders followed as best they could. Those on horses had trouble calming their panicked steeds. A bear-sized monster with an exposed brain at the top of its head was not something their horses were used to seeing.

"Gather on my right," Shota instructed, his whip ready in his hands. "Block its path." Drive it back into the forest. Don't let it get to people.

Those with swords and lances pointed at the monster with their weapons, all lined up, one defender next to the other like a tilted fence. Bow and arrow masters aimed from the tops of houses and watchtowers. One snapped an arrow loose. The whistle came after impacting the beast on the back of its muscular neck. The tip barely sunk in, failing to penetrate the thick blanket of muscle. The monster stood like a stood. For a minute, the eyes rolled in uncoordinated directions like the eyes of a chameleon. It reached up and plucked the arrow out of its neck like it was nothing more than a porcupine quill.

That must've enraged it, because Shota blinked and the monster had somehow made it across the dirt, rammed the group of armed people out of the way with arm swipes, and had stopped in front of the archer, fist raised to pummel. Shota snapped the whip. The end wrapped around the archer's arm – the one he lifted to protect his face. A pull, and Shota jerked the archer out of the fist's way, a split second before the giant fist smashed the ground. The earth exploded in a cloud of dust from the impact.

It scared the not-so-brave defenders. Some hesitated. Some retreated. A tiny group went hysterical and charged without command.

"Stop! Get back!" Tenya yelled and went unheard.

Lances broke and swords halted at the tip, managing to sink only a few inches into the tough skin on the monster's side. The beast didn't even flinch. The defenders backed away cowardly. Those who weren't fast enough were swatted away by muscular arms. They flew and slammed into shields and armored bodies. Someone who watched from an open upstairs window screamed.

"It's the King!" someone yelled out.

Indeed, among the river of trotting hooves that stamped crescents into the dirt, one short but thick horse stomped the loudest. The muscular red horse with a braided main and tail, and tufts that hid the hooves carried the black armor and the large king. The red drapery on the sides of the saddle flapped and flattered as the horse stopped on harsh command.

The King came with weapons but had come without shield or armor. King Enji Todoroki was a large man, tall and wide and hairy-chinned. His size alone intimidated anyone in his path. He walked heavily when he dismounted.

It caught the beast's attention. It focused its bulging eyes on him and grinned like the devil.

"I have to do everything myself," Enji scoffed. He reached for the battle axes attached to his belt.

Determining this was his new opponent, the monster screeched and ran on all fours. With no actual paws, it looked like a person imitating a dog. It closed the distance. Shota saw a cloud of dust, then two dots flew out, hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Purple fingers. Large, fat ones.

There was the thud of a chest being slammed. The kind skidded out of the dust cloud backward, still standing, though bending over slightly. He painfully righted himself and fixed the axes in his hands, throwing them and grabbing them midair for a better grip.

The cloud became thinner and the monster stood and stared at its open palm. Two fingers were missing. There was no blood; just dried flesh. It was as if the injury was an old wound. Within seconds, pink numbs started growing out of the cuts where the fingers had been. It was growing new fingers.

"What hellhole did you crawl out of?" Enji cursed. He hadn't anticipated the monster to come back fast for another strike. He held his axes in front of him crossed, forming an X-shaped bearer. His face was shielded, but one axe handle cracked and bent from the impact of a swinging monstrous wrist.

The King staggered back. "Damn animal." Throwing down his damaged axe and backing away, he reached for his leather-covered flask that hung from the back of his belt. "Fire," he ordered in his loud, gruff voice.

"Your majesty!" A lancer yelled. Not wanting to be collateral damage, he ran in quickly with his pointed weapon in one hand and a stolen troche in the other, handed it over, and crawled back into the crowd for his own safety. The beast got down on all fours again and the crowd behind Enji backed away in formation, ready.

Even as the monster charged, Enji held his ground and took a swig from his flask and held it in his mouth. The brain-exposed monster was closer. Enji held the flame in front of his face, and spat a long spray that dove through the fire, emerged on the other side as a long flaming stream and continued spreading forward, hitting the monster's beaked face, engulfing the head in fire.

The monster's pace did not falter. It kept running, and Enji sidestepped and attempted to chop at the neck of its neck. His shoulder jerked when the blade went through muscle halfway, stuck and unstuck. The monster didn't react to the cut, too distracted by its head on fire. It stopped and threw its head around like a blinded bull trying to throw a cape off of its head. It smacked its face until the fire dwindled, revealing the ashy, ripped patched of cooked skin where each droplet had hit. A few orange dots glowed; fire leftovers.

Wiping his chin with his shoulder, Enji poured the contents of the flask over the axe's blade and set it on fire. The monster could heal itself, but not from burns.

It stood back up and screeched, beak-mouth open and flat teeth exposed. To Enji's dismay, just as the sound evaporated, a mixture of more sounds erupted. First, screams from civilians from a distance; then the surprised yells of defenders; and lastly, the alarmed shouts that repeated "Wolf! Wolf!" from those looking out of windows.

He saw it before his mind could understand what the bystander meant. The abnormally large dog had toppled over knights with its massive head to get through. Red eyes. Mouth open. Teeth sharp. With a speed impressive for its size, it launched itself at the monster's face.

Gasps of astonishment from all around. The size of the wolf was bigger than any fur rug they'd seen hanging nose up and tail down from the ceiling of rug sellers. It grabbed onto the monster's eyelid with its teeth and pulled with its four clawed legs pressed firmly on the monster's skin. The wolf had angry red eyes. Monster on monster. It was unclear which one they had to fear more.

The purple-skinned beast's grunts sounded more annoyed than pained. It grabbed the wolf's tail and yanked. The eyelid stretched. The wolf stubbornly refused to let go, a growl rumbling in its throat. The eyelid snapped like leather and the wolf was tossed like a slingshot. The whoosh of wind over their heads followed the flying body of the large animal.

Roof straw flicked off when the wolf landed on top of a building with one large leg hanging off the edge. He scratched ribbons of wood off the building's frame trying to climb up. He eventually did, and the roof gave out beneath him, swallowing him and dropping him into someone's kitchen.

…

Katsuki had broken a table on his way down; all four wooden legs cracked. Straw fluttered down in handfuls. Grumpy but unharmed, he stood and shook himself. Cutlery clicked to his left.

Masaru Bakugo stared wide-eyed with a teacup in one hand and a small plate in the other. His previously grey shirt had a long brown stain, starting from the middle of his chest and running down to his pants. A cluster of straws landed in his teacup.

Normally, Katsuki would've scoffed out a 'Why are you drinking tea at a time like this, old man?' Maybe he was doing it right now nonverbally. This was very much his home, his kitchen, his dad, and–

"Masaru?" his mother's rapid footsteps and clanking sword and dangling chains stopped by the doorway. She had been on her way out, he assumed. Out to deal with that large animal outside.

Well, now one was inside.

His mind went in multiple different directions. His mother looked to be reaching for her sword. His father's mind finally caught up and the man dropped off his chair and attempted to crawl away. It was easy to forget what they saw was not the same as what he saw. Even he kept getting surprised by his reflection when leaning down for a drink. They saw a wolf in their home. They didn't know any better.

A way out; that was what he needed. Maybe jump back up from where he came through. His mother would not attack if the animal was facing her. He kept his red eyes on her, his ears falling back in distress.

She was thinking. He saw it. He saw the look in her eyes. They stared for minutes. No one moved. The point of her sword dropped. "Katsuki?" she exclaimed in an almost accusing manner, like she'd found him doing no good, like she'd been told he broke another boy's wrist again.

Of all reactions, he had not been expecting this.

His father looked at him, then at Mitsuki, then back at him, trying to wrap his head around it all. "Kat… Katsuki? Wha… How…?"

Katsuki swallowed down his previous stress-growling. His mother marched over and, to his annoyance, grabbed him by the lower jaw and forced him to glare into her own angry eyes. She sighed and released. "I swear to gods, there's no hole you'll not stick your head in. What am I going to do with you?"

Offended, he snorted.

His father finally gathered enough sense to stand and approach carefully. "Son? My gods, how did…?"

Commotion from outside. Katsuki's ears and his parents' eyes all swiveled and stopped at the wall. Outside, the monster continued to rage. Katsuki stood and readied himself to jump through the hole in the ceiling he had created.

"Katsuki!"

He flinched at his mother's stern voice. However, he wasn't about to be grounded when he was needed most.

She grabbed a handful of his fur. "Not without me you're not, mister."

…

People, both in cheap slate armor and expensive iron, were blocking the way. The dirt path by the village's entrance had been suspiciously empty. The floors littered with footprints of men, women, children, mules, the occasional hounds, and lines from wagons. All these trails, yet, all life had gathered in one spot, up ahead, where the commotion was. Yells, screams, yells, crashes, yells, animalistic screeches and words quickly said.

It was hard to pick up words of communication when most of what Izuku heard was the stomping of the deer's thin hooves hitting the dirt as it sprinted. The antlers above were like living tree branches. He grabbed onto Koji. Ochaco grabbed onto him. They passed someone on the ground being dragged away by a lady. Then another who was staggering away, holding his helmeted head. Peering from behind the larger boy, Izuku saw the incoming line of an army. The backs of them, that is.

The monster they were surrounding was bigger than he'd assumed. Wider, taller, and with someone in its grasp. Shota Aizawa. With no effort, it slammed the man against the ground, and Izuku's heart plummeted. His friends must've seen as well, because Ochaco's hold on him tightened and Koji leaned to be by the side of the deer's neck and pleaded "Hopper, please hurry!"

Sensing his friend's distress, the deer picked up pace. The rush of wind became stronger, like a giant trying to blow out a forest fire. The army was right there.

For a second, Izuku thought the deer would run into them. "Wait – wha!"

Instead, the deer lived up to his name and hopped over the rows of helmets. He and instinctively closed his eyes and heard Ochaco and himself scream. Hopper landed in the open army circle, joining the beast and the man he held in its arm by the head. Shota's eyes were covered over by his with river streams of his own blood.

The crowd talked louder. Izku heard these words clearer from here. Witch. Devil. The witch's son is back. A voice stood out. Tenya, begging them to please go back to safety.

The beast was staring at them with a bloody-pink eye. Its healthy eye blink. The deer waved its antlers in front of it like a sword of its own. Izuku dismounted and grabbed at his sword handle. The blade trembled. His guts told him to do something. His survival instincts told him to get out of there. It was still looking at him with dots for pupils and teeth visible like it had no lips. Not human, but human enough that Izuku feared he might stab a person.

"Kids, get out of there!" someone yelled.

"What is he doing?" another person asked.

"You'll get yourselves killed!"

"Boy, don't be stupid."

"Do you want to die?"

"You'll die!"

He knew that. He had no place in society. He was all sorts of wrong. Years ago, he believed he would've died young. It wasn't that he was weak or sickly. He just failed to imagine himself as a useful adult. It never came to mind. He had dreams, but that was all they were, dreams. At least, until he found him. AllMight taught him, he couldn't wait for dreams, he had to grab them himself.

The sword in his hand steadied, stayed still. His bones screamed, and the wind picked up. One for All.

The monster lost interest in Shota. He might've been lucky to activate it now, because he was sure he wouldn't have otherwise been able to sword-block the monster's fist. Blocked by the flat side of his sword. His shoes shoveled dirt as the monster pushed him back. He heard the astonished crowd gasp at the sight of a boy withstanding that monster's hit.

It was strong. It withdrew its arm and Izuku swore he saw the muscles in that one arm swell before the monster struck again, more fiercely this time; this time, sending Izuku flying back and scraping his side against the dirt. A shadow loomed over him. It was there with its arm lifted to crush his skull. It could've – would've – if someone hadn't ran in, grabbed him by the neck collar and pulled him out of the way. The fist collided with the ground.

"Are you okay?" Ochaco asked in his ear. She was holding him by the midsection. He weighed nothing.

"Ye – Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay." His heart hammered his ribcage.

Koji and his deer stepped in between them and the monster. He opened his arms wide. "Beast of the forest, please, leave, I beg you." Neither his pacifist approach nor his ability to speak to animals seemed to work. The monster was no animal. It heard nothing.

It roared, fat tongue flailing, and ran on all-fours at them. Ochaco quickly put Izuku down. The deer stuck out its antlers, ready to grab.

A whistle and a whoosh, and a bolas grabbed and wrapped the monster's arms together, causing it to slam its beak against the floor and slide to a stop.

On top of a building, Mitsuki held onto a knife in one hand, and onto the back of her son's neck fur with the other. Katsuki's wolfish face was scrunched up in a snarl. He slid down the roof, jumped when reaching the edge, and landed with a thump. The crowd had scattered. Tenya and his brother carried away Shota buy the arms and legs. Enji's fairy axe continued to flicker. He watched as the monster got up, parted its arms and snapped the ropes, now clearly angry.

The king cracked his neck, took aim, and threw the axe. Unfortunately, the monster caught it like someone had thrown a ball at a game of catch. Distracted, it didn't see the wolf jump onto its back. Katsuki held on with his teeth sunken into taught shoulder skin. Mitsuki had a harder time holding onto her son's fur with one hand. With a grunt, she stabbed at the back of the monster's neck, where she predicted the spine would be. The blade went a few inches in, and the blade came off the handle. The beast began thrashing. Not wanting to risk his mother being thrown off, Katsuki released, jumped off and trotted to a safe distance. The monster plucked the blade out. Steam rose from the now-healing wound.

A white horse neighed. People got out of the way. The prince pulled his horse to a stop and surveyed the peculiar sight. The runaway 'witch', a boy on a deer, a boy with glowing lines that mapped every exposed skin, a woman on a massive wolf, all surrounding this one monster. He pulled out his own sword.

The monster suddenly charged at the wolf. It had propelled itself so fast it had left cracks in the spot where it had stood. Fists out, it struck Katsuki in the side, and both he and his mother were sent flying back, her falling off and him continuing to claw at the ground for grip.

A SHIINK was all the sound the monster needed to detect the incoming blade of the prince. It backhanded the sword and the top half of the blade broke and flung over the prince's head.

…

Ochaco felt the wind pick up around Izuku. Lines of electricity zipped over his limbs.

"Miss Uraraka, can I ask you for a favor?" His voice was like he was talking through a tunnel. Like there were copies of him and they all spoke. His sword caught on fire. It fazed everyone but him and the monster. He held the sword and parted his legs shoulder width.

She had to step back from the heat and the occasional electricity bouncing off of him.

"What… What do you need me to do?" she stuttered.

"Do you think you can make it fly?" he asked.

It. He meant the monster.

"I can't use my power here. There's too many people," he explained, "I might hurt them."

"I–" She never tried floating a body as large as that. Then again, she didn't know her limits. He had blocked a monster's attack with his short sword. She could give it her all as well. It was unclear what his plan was, but he looked confident enough about it. "I'll give it a go!"

His eyes suddenly widened as the monster decided to charge again at top speed. Izuku broke his stance and reach back to pull her away. Something knocked him from behind. A cloud of dust exploded around them, blinding them. He, however, did not feel as though a punch had hit him. It was hard to see through dirt in his eyes.

Something had pushed him into Ochaco and out of the way. That something stood on all fours and swooshed his tail. Katsuki stood with his back to them and eyes at the monster.

"Ka… Kacchan?"

Katsuki growled in response, agitated, as if cursing him for being useless. He slowly backed up – keeping his glare in front – until Izuku and Ochaco were by his side.

A few steps away, Mitsuki threw another bola to shut the monster's beak.

The wolf broke eye contact to glare at the two beside him. He snarled and tilted his head, gestured for them to hurry up and get on. All of his words were in his human eyes. Either do something or buzz off.

Message well received. Izuku grabbed the fur on his shoulder to heave himself up, then – hearing the bola snap – quickly grabbed Ochaco's hand and pulled her up. He wasn't prepared for how fast and rough Katsuki's take-off was. The sudden jolt almost pulled him and Ochaco off. Wolves weren't steeds. They'd make terrible steeds. They didn't run as smoothly. Smooth wasn't a luxury they could ask for at the moment. Not when a monster had been so close to smacking them flat against the ground.

Katsuki ran like he forgot he had passengers onboard; running circles around the beast and doing sharp turns that almost knocked the two off but guaranteed the monster would have a harder time aiming where to charge.

The wolf's panting was clear to the ears. Izuku tightened his grasp on the neck fur in one hand. Ochaco hugged his midsection just as tightly. He held his sword out to the side, the flames stretching to the side like a flag.

"Can you get me closer?" she yelled in his ear, assuming her words would mix with the rushing wind.

For him, it was still hard to hear with how loudly his heart was pounding. It took him a second or two to understand what she meant. "Be careful!"

Katsuki had listened to their short exchange. He gave a warning snarl. Better be ready!

Izuku looked over his shoulder. She gave him a determined nod. He then leaned down and tightened his hold on the sword. "Go for it!"

Katsuki did a sharp turn, heading straight for the monster that raised two fists. The wolf jumped just as the fists came down and cracked the ground, leaping over the monster's head. Ochaco reached down – almost falling – and grazed the monster's head.

She fell off after making contact. The monster raised a palm to hit her, but, instead, got interrupted by its body floating. Katsuki immediately bit the monster's leg and tossed the monster up, sending it slowly flying. Everyone craned their necks to look up, some backing away from the monster's shadow in fear of being squashed.

The wolf's fur flapped and shivered thanks to the wind around Izuku. The fire on the blade grew. Izuku hopped off.

Ochaco reached him, her cheek smeared with dirt that smelled like horse hooves. Powdery dirt sprinkled her eyelash and brow. She rubbed some off her eye with her sleeve, her other arm wrapped around her aching midsection. She saw her friend crouch in a fight stance, his eyes locked on the flying body.

He wanted to get up there.

"Are you sure?" she managed to ask. She had so many questions. At the moment, there was no time for them.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, keeping his stance locked. "I'm sorry. I'm asking a lot from you," he said sympathetically through the sound of sizzling electricity running over his limbs.

"Go get' em, Izuku." She touched his shoulder and immediately fell to her knees. It was like ropes were tightening around her stomach. Hold it, for just long enough.

She hadn't expected the sudden gust of wind a second after he jumped and left an indented ring where he'd stood. He traveled up in a straight line, his sword leaving an orange trail like a flying phoenix. The farther he got, the brighter the light of his sword became. In a blink, the orange turned white. He was a falling star shooting up and connecting with the four-limbed black dot. An intense flash of light. Everyone shielded their eyes.

For Ochaco, her vision turned black without her closing her eyes. Perhaps, she'd momentary blacked out, because she was on the ground on her belly. Her stomach spasmed. She felt sick like the time when an illness spread among the village kids and left all bedridden and some dead. She forced herself to look up. Everyone had closed the empty circle, gathering closer, eyes up.

The light had died down. Ochaco forced herself to look. The light was knives to her eyes. She swore the clouds moved away from where the impact had happened, forming a white ring that continued to expand away. Something looked wrong. There was nothing where there should've been someone. Looking around, she found an orange dot with a flaming tail, like a flicker from a campfire. It kept getting smaller as it traveled away, tilting down, going over the woods.

He was falling.

The rush of urgency blanketed over the aching in her gut. She struggled, fell, caught herself, and struggled up again, inching forward through clenching muscles. Go after him. Not fast enough. Not fast at all.

Wolf Katsuki circled her, pushed against her until she grabbed onto him and let him drag her forward. He wasn't waiting for her to get on, already running with her hanging off his back from the side. She gripped his fur in a way that must've been painful for him. People parted out of the way. Ochaco couldn't make out understandable words from the mixture of panicked voices. A few rode their horses in the same direction. Katsuki was in the lead; the deer following closely.

H broke into the forest. Plants slapped and scratched and snagged and ripped at clothes and fur. It was hard to hold on and look up at the same time, but she didn't feel her body anymore. She had to look up. He was falling headfirst, his sleeve seared short, stopping at his shoulder. No sword in hand.

"I need to go up there!" she said loudly, hoping the wolf would understand why.

He seemed to take it as a challenge and started zigzagging between trees, following where the falling boy was headed. The wind was so strong it was hard to breathe. Just touch him. Touch, before he hits the ground.

High tree branches snapped and cracked when he crashed through. The wolf jumped. She had her palm out and open wide, reaching out to him.

Wood bits flacked down. Leafs dusted her face. They had come to a stop. Her heavy gasping was just as loud as the wolf's quick dog pants. She pied no heed to the deer that stopped by a moment later, followed by the hoof-steps of horses and someone calling. She did not notice. What she did notice was the boy floating, face down, arms out, eyes forced shut in fear, then slowly opened in confusion.

She was dizzy. Touching her fingers together, she dropped him harmlessly. People gathered, checking if he was alright, asking him questions: are you okay? Are you hurt? What did you do?

He lifted his head, looked at her with half-lidded eyes, and tiredly asked: "Are you okay?"

He was well enough to ask that. She huffed a laugh, exhausted but thankful.

Relieved and slightly on the grumpy side, Katsuki dropped his massive head heavily, flattening the grass.

…

Truth be told, Izuku had burned through his first shirt when practicing at a builder. He opted training shirtless from then on. It had been neither easy nor painless. He'd go through multiple disposable swords they could've traded off. Sometimes, he questioned if he'd made any progress at all. Sometimes, he wasn't sure if he was the right person for this. Sometimes, he would think, maybe AllMight had made a mistake that one night Izuku met the ghost of a skinny man, yellow, glowing, naked, standing over a ghostly fire; that night the man spoke sadly. That night a ghost told him he'd been watching him. That night he gave him an offer, and Izuku took it.

Today, a lady from downhill gave him eggs from her chickens, and a bladesmith gave him a sword, longer than the one he'd had. He wasn't used to getting presents. He wasn't used to so many people. He wasn't used to being told 'you did great.'

He also wasn't used to being escorted around the village by a knight.

"Would you like anything else?" Tenya asked humbly. "I'm sure you'll find whatever you need around here."

"It's okay. I'm all good," Izuku said with a basket in each hand, one heavier than the other. The knight was already holding his leather travel back for him after he'd insisted to carry it. This knight had surprised him that day after Izuku woke up from a day-long nap. 'I ask you to forgive me for my actions. You were more of a knight than I could ever become,' he'd said and kneeled down with a hand over his chest plate.

Everything had changed since that day. One surprise after another. From the enthusiastic conversations the village people wanted to have with him, to being compared to the Legendary AllMight, to him being knighted, and fainting right there and then. Ochaco, Katsuki, and a crying Koji had handled the ceremony better in front of the king in that castle. As far as he remembered, at least.

He'd gone from living with just his mother, to suddenly having a large audience wherever he walked. He couldn't blame them. They were so young and… peculiar to be knighted so fast. He'd been asked, more than once, if he had any relations to AllMight. Shoto Todoroki himself nonchalantly asked if he was AllMight's secret love child.

"It's not like that!"

"Not like that. I see. So something else," he'd come to the conclusion.

People were making their own connections, it seemed. Half-right, half-wrong. They'd offered them a place in town. After his family talk, they decided not to take the option. It was weird; to be hated one day, then instantly cherished the next. Not to mention, they weren't staying here for much longer.

Tenya gave him a ride on his horse. Kids younger than him waved as they passed by. He tried to wave back and hoped they saw. Going uphill, he got to admire the view of the sloped land. His mom's cottage wasn't alone, this time. Two more stood by. Well, one and a half. The Bakugo home was still being constructed. Muscular bulls would pull carts up and down the hill with blocks, or they'd go in fours swinging cut construction wood, the ends tied to their horns. Between the two new cottages, the Uraraka home had been first to be completed.

Ochaco and her father had helped with the construction. They still help with the beginning stages of the Bakugo home. At least until the family had to get Ochaco ready for her departure.

"Map."

"Check."

"Knife."

"Check."

"Coat."

"Check. I think I got everything, Dad."

"Can't be too careful."

"You both went over everything yesterday. She'll be fine," Ochaco's mother said, giving the girl a hug.

It didn't stop the father from being a father. "You be sure to take breaks and sleep, alright? No staying up late."

"I know, Daddy," Ochaco said, giggling.

The Uraraka family and the Midoriya mother had their homes next to each other. One the other side of the dirt path, the unfinished Bakugo one had yet to be lived in. It was done at the bottom, open and incomplete at the top. Builders from downhill had insisted on performing this task. On the dirt path, where travelers used to take the road to come and go, a wagon stood with a wild boar (the size of a bear on all fours) stood at the front, strapped to the wagon. Koji was in the driver's seat with ropes in hand. Inside, their luggage was stored with wagon covers for weather, covers for themselves, extra weapons and medicine, and enough food to last the ride to the next town.

Inko stood waiting for him. Izuku dismounted Tenya's horse and untied one of the side pouches.

"Sorry I was late. Mrs. Kurosawa gave us eggs from her chickens," he said as he handled the bag of eggs and cotton carefully, handing them over to his mother.

"Oh, how thoughtful of her. Are you sure you don't want to stay a few more days?" Inko asked, cupping his cheek.

He smiled kindly, knowing she'd be living without him after it just being him and her. She wouldn't be by herself, thankfully. Having nice neighbors was nice, but he couldn't stay here forever. There could be other monster's just like the one he'd sent flying. There could be more attacking villages and destroying houses and releasing cattle and breaking the legs of guards. "Don't worry, mom. Sir Iida, Prince Todoroki and Great Teacher Aizawa will be with us, too." Aizawa, while sustained injuries to his eyes that required time, sleep in utter darkness, and medical potions made from the stones Inko had chopped up before, he still decided to join the journey West with them, because, according to him, no one would be going anywhere without an adult. There was also the issue of finding Gentle Criminal and his short, mysterious sidekick. Katsuki was still a wolf, after all. If there was someone out there to break the curse, it would be Gentle.

Smiling sadly, she sighed, knowing there was not much she could say to change his mind. He'd always wanted to go out there, see the world, do what AllMight did. "Just be careful, okay?" She kissed his forehead.

"I will. I promise, Mom."

Tenya turned his horse around and held a hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun. He smiled in satisfaction at the sight of the Prince's white horse and Shota's black one trotting up the hill. "It seems the Prince and the Great Teacher are on their way."

It meant Izuku had to finally say goodbye. He hugged his mother tightly. Ochaco hugged her own parents as well.

He let go, went over to Tenya's horse and plucked out the handful of flowers that stuck out of a sack. "I gotta do something real quick. Won't be long!"

He ran into the forest, taking the same path he'd taken oh so often, sliding down curved dirt, hearing woodpeckers chip away at wood, birds howling, chattering, whistling, cackling, bugs hissing. Man-sized trees were pushed aside to reveal the now normal patch of grassy ground where his younger self had had to burry his mentor. he'd been a body then, and was most likely a skeleton now.

Izuku knew part of him was with him, following him. Another part reminded him the man had stopped talking, and was now a spirit who was holding onto consciousness by threads. The flowers he'd placed here before were mostly gone, mostly carried by the wind, some taken by small animals, one was left there, darker colored, dried up and shriveled. He neatly placed the new flowers and patted the moist dirt. Thanks, AllMight. I'll do my best.

When he got back to the wagon, the Prince and Shota had made it. Ochaco was in the back of the wagon, leaning out and waving at him. She reached for him. He took her hand and let her pull him up.

Just as he righted himself at the back of the wagon, he heard a familiar woman shouting.

"Katsuki, get back here. I packed your bag and you will wear it!"

The Bakugo family must've almost finished getting Katsuki ready for his departure. The sight of a giant dog running up the hill with backpack straps around his doggy shoulders was somehow comical.

"That's your cue," Ochaco's father said. He patted the side of the wagon. "Better get runnin'. Got a long day ahead of you."

Koji signaled the boar to start moving. It snorted and squealed with excitement and began trotting on short but thick legs. Katsuki caught up and scared everyone when he decided to jump into the back of the wagon through the open gap of the curtains. His hind legs hung out for a second before he climbed in properly and took up the majority of empty space. He made sure to 'accidentally' tail-slap Izuku in the face.

"Have fun, kids!" Ochaco's father said loudly, waving at them.

"Take care of yourselves!" Inko shouted as well.

Mitsuki finally caught up on horseback. "Don't dig up more trouble, you hear me?" she shouted aggressively.

The parents got smaller with distance. Izuku and Ochaco kept waving for as long as they were still visible. They had a long journey. They had gifts no one else had. They were different, in some ways, and the same in others. Future villages most likely wouldn't understand. They'd deal with that. Their names and stories hadn't traveled that far, yet. It was fine. They had time. Time to explore and tell stories and see the world. They'd do all that while their birthplace finished building statues of each of them, and one big statue that held them all together with a title at the bottom: _KEEPERS OF THE HILL._

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _-There we go. I sorta gave up on this a while ago. I wanted to try something out, but it got too lengthy and I didn't have the spark that I used to have when I started this. I didn't feel like continuing but I also didn't like leaving it without an ending. I didn't like the feeling of leaving something unfinished._

 _-I rushed through this to give it a somewhat-ending. I tried to keep the chapters the same length, but as I worked on this, I realized this last chapter would be longer. I feel more relaxed now that it's done, and I'm glad I got to explore a few things with this._


End file.
